3  1455 


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THE  REPUBLIC 


OF  COSTA  RICA 


O 
O 


GUSTAVO  NIEDERLEIN 

CHIEF  OF  THE  SCIENTIFIC  DEPARTMENT 

THE  PHILADELPHIA 

COMMERCIAL  MUSEUM 


EXCHANGE 


THE  REPUBLIC 

OF  COSTA  RICA 


GUSTAVO  NIEDERLEIN 

CHIEF   OF   IH.i   SCIENTIFIC   DEPARTMENT 

THE  PHILADELPHIA 
COMMERCIAL  MUSEUM 


PRESERVATION 
COPY  ADDED 
ORIGINAL  TO  BE 
RETAINED 

MAY  0  ?  1993 


THE 
PHILADELPHIA   MUSEUMS, 

Established  by  Ordinance  of  City  Councils,  1894. 

233  South  Fourth  Street. 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

Ex-Ojficio. 

HON.   DANIEL,  H.  HASTINGS, 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 

HON.  CHARLES  F.  WARWICK, 
Mayor  of  the  City  of  Philadelphia. 

JAMES  It.  MILES, 
President  of  Select  Council. 

WENCEL  HARTMAN, 
President  of  Common  Council. 

SAMUEL  B.  HUEY, 
President  of  the  Board  of  Public  Education. 

DR.   EDWARD  BROOKS, 

Superintendent  of  Public  Schools. 

i 

NATHAN  C.  SCHAEFFER, 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools. 

J.  T.  ROTH  ROCK,  B.  S.,   M.  D., 
State  Forestry  Commissioner. 

Permanent  Trustees, 

WILLIAM  PEPPER,  M.  D.,  LL  D.,  THOMAS  MEEHAX, 

CHARLES  H.  CRAMP,  DANIEL  BAUGH, 

THOMAS  DOLAN,  W.  W.  FOULKROD, 

GEORGE  F.  EDMUNDS,  FRANK  THOMSON, 

WILLIAM  M.  ELKINS,  JOHN  WANAMAKER, 
MRS.  CORNELIUS  STEVENSON,  Sc.D.,      P.  A.  B.  WIDENER, 

SIMON  GRATZ,  SYDNEY  L.  WRIGHT. 


383151 


OFFICERS 

OF   THE 

BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES. 

WM.  PEPPER,  M.  D.,  LL.D., 
President. 

CHARLES  H.  CRAMP, 
Vice-President. 

SYDNEY  L.  WRIGHT, 
Treasurer. 

WILLIAM  M.  WATTS, 

Secretary. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  MUSEUM. 


WILLIAM  P.  WILSON,  Sc.D., 
Director. 

WILLIAM  HARPER, 
Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Information. 

C.  A.  GREEN, 
Assistant  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of  Information. 

WILFRED  H.  SCHOFF, 
Foreign  Secretary  of  the  Bureau  of  Information. 

'  GUSTAVE  NIEDERLEIN, 
Chief  of  the  Scientific  Department. 

WM.  B.  MARSHALL, 
Curator  of  Natural  Products. 

LOUIS  J.  MATOS, 
Chief  of 'Laboratories. 


Introduction. 


HIS  monograph  treats  of  the  topography,  geology,  min- 
eral  wealth  and  soils  of  Costa  Rica;  it  describes  its  cli- 
mate and  presents  the  details  of  its  flora  and  fauna  with  refer- 
ence to  their  economic  value;  it  displays  the  distribution  of 
population  according  to  race,  wealth,  communities  and  social 
conditions;  it  examines  the  agricultural  development  of  the 
Republic,  including  its  live  stock  and  forests;  and,  finally,  it 
recounts  the  most  important  features  of  its  commerce,  in- 
dustry, finance,  and  of  its  economic  and  political  conditions. 

It  is  made  up  of  observations  and  studies  pursued  in  1897 
and  1898,  during  seven  and  a  half  months  of  economic  and 
scientific  explorations  in  Central  America,  and  of  facts  gar- 
nered with  great  care  from  authoritative  manuscripts,  books 
and  official  documents  and  publications.  Respect  has  been 
.shown  to  the  work  of  men  of  originality  in  research  and 
thought,  and  care  has  been  taken  to  adhere  closely  to  the 
original  text  when  either  quoting  or  translating.  I  am  es- 
pecially indebted  to  Professor  H.  Pittier,  whose  great  quali- 
fications for  a  scientific  exploration  .of  Costa  Rica  cannot  be 
overestimated;  to  Mr.  Anastasio  Alfaro,  the  Director  of  the 
National  Museum;  to  Mr.  Manuel  Aragon,  the  Director  Gen- 
eral of  the  National  Statistical  Department;  to  Dr.  Juan 
Ullua,  the  Minister  of  Fomento;  to  Joaquin  B.  Calvo,  Minister 
Resident  in  Washington;  and  Mr.  Rafael  Iglesias,  the  able 
President  of  the  Republic  of  Costa  Rica. 


'5) 


The  State  of  Costa  Rica. 


i. 


TOPOGRAPHY,    GEOLOGY    AND    MINERAL    WEALTH. 


Costa  Rica,  the  southernmost  Republic  of  Central  Amer- 
ica, is  advantageously  situated  within  the  North  tropical  zone, 
adjoining  Colombia,  the  most  northern  state  of  South  Amer- 
ica. It  is  between  the  two  great  oceans,  having  also  the  pros- 
pect of  one  inter-oceanic  ship-canal  at  one  extremity  and  an- 
other ship-canal  near  the  other. 

Costa  Rica  is  between  8°  and  11°  16'  N.  latitude 
and  81°  35'  and  85°  40'  W.  longitude  from  Greenwich.  Its 
area  is  between  54,070  and  59,570  sq.  kilometers,  the  dif- 
ference arising  from  the  boundary  line  unsettled  with  Co- 
lombia. We  follow  here  Colonel  George  Earl  Church's  paper 
in  the  London  Geographical  Journal  of  July,  1897,  which 
gives  in  a  condensed  form  all  important  results  of  extensive 
explorations  by  Professor  H.  Pittier  as  well  as  well- written 
abstracts  of  important  publications  of  the  "Institute)  fisico  geo- 
grafico  Nacional"  and  of  the  "Museo  Nacional"  of  Costa  Rica. 

The  mountains  of  Costa  Rica  are  not  a  continuous  Cor- 
dillera, although  in  general  they  extend  from  the  frontier  of 

(7) 


8 

Colombia  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Brito.  The  entire  country 
may  properly  be  divided  into  two  distinctive  groups  by  a 
natural  line  running  between  the  mouths  of  the  Reventazon 
and  Rio  Grande  de  Pirris;  groups  which  can  be  called  "vol- 
canic mountains"  or  "mountains  of  the  northwest,"  and  "Tal- 
amanca  mountains"  or  "mountains  of  the  southeast."  It  is 
clear  that  the  Caribbean  Sea  once  joined  the  Pacific 
Ocean  through  this  valley  of  the  river  Reventazon  in  which 
the  Costa  Rica  Railway  now  climbs  to  reach  Cartago.  In 
weighing  existing  data  there  seems  to  be  no  room  for  doubt 
that  the  highlands  of  Costa  Rica  once  formed  part  of  a  vast 
'archipelago  extending  from  Panama  to  Tchuantepec.  The 
lowest  inter-oceanic  depressions  between  the  Arctic  Ocean 
and  the  Straits  of  Magellan  are  the  divide  between  the  two 
oceans  at  Panama  which  is  286  feet  above  the  sea  level,  and 
the  narrow  strip  of  land  separating  Lake  Nicaragua  from  the 
Pacific,  which  has  only  about  150  feet  elevation 

The  "volcanic  mountains"  or  "the  mountains  o-f  the 
northwest"  can  again  be  divided  into  two  sections.  The  first 
comprises  the  part  situated  between  the  Rio  Reventazon  and 
a  depression  which  connects  San  Ramon  with  the  water-shed 
of  San  Carlos,  including  the  groups  of  the  volcanoes  Turialba 
(i i,ooo  feet),  Irazu  (11,200  feeit),  Barba  (9335  feet)  and  Poas 
(8675  feet).  The  second  section  comprises  the  part  which  ex- 
tends from  the  Barranca  River  to  the  Lake  of  Nicaragua  wi  :'i 
the  groups  of  Tilaran,  Miravalles,  La  Vieja  and  Orosi. 

The  first  section  may  be  called  "Cordillera  Central"  or 
'"Cordillera  del  Irazu"  and  the  second  "Cordillera  del  Mira- 
valles." The  three  masses  which  form  the  volcanic  Cordillera 
of  Irazu  are  separated  by  two  depressions:  first  by  that  of 
3La  Palma,  1500  meters  above  the  sea,  between  Irazu  and 
Barba,  and  second  by  that  of  Desengafio,  1800  meters  above 
the  sea,  between  Barba  and  Poas. 

The  basis  of  the  two  western  masses  seems  to  be  formed 
of  basaltic  rocks,  while  the  trachytes  dominate  in  the  eastern 
mass.  Irazu  and  Turialba,  which  is  part  of  the  same  mass, 
seem  to  have  ejected  lavas  in  a  compact  state.  The  height  of 
volcanoes  diminishes  towards  the  west. 

The    three    orographic     groups     which     dominate    the 


northern  central  plateau  do  not  show  the  regular  conical  form 
which  usually  characterizes  a  volcano.  The  general  line  of 
the  southern  slopes  ascends  in  an  imperceptible  manner  to- 
wards the  summit,  notwithstanding  that  they  are  composed  of 
a  succession  of  terrace  plains.  On  the  Irazu,  for  instance, 
eight  such  terraces  are  observable  from  Cartago  to  the  sum- 
mit. The  northern  declivity  is  more  precipitous,  being  over 
60°  on  the  Irazu. 

The  peak  of  the  Irazu  is  a  point  from  which  go  various 
spurs  and  secondary  mountains  in  opposite  directions,  one 
to  the  west  and  one  to  the  east,  the  latter  terminating  in  a 
crater  where  the  Parismina  River  takes  its  origin.  The  west- 
ern mountains  trend  first  in  a  westerly  direction  to  the  Cerro 
Felon,  where  they  divide,  one  part  descending  south  to  the  pass 
of  Ochomogo,  1540  meters  above  sea-level;  the  other,  after 
taking  a  northwesterly  direction,  terminating  in  the  plain  of 
La  Palma,  which  is  a  part  of  the  water-shed  of  the  two 
oceans.  On  the  south  various  mountains  follow  the.  rivers 
Pirris  and  Turialba.  The  Irazu  has  various  craters,  formed 
successively,  each  one  contributing  to  the  gradual  rising  of 
the  mass. 

The  Irazu,  which  had  eruptions  in  1723,  1726,  1821  and 
1847,  nas  now  an  altitude  of  3414  m.  (i  1,200  feet),  and  from  its 
summit  both  oceans  are  visible,  and  also  the  great  valleys  of 
San  Juan  and  of  Lake  Nicaragua,  as  "well  as  the  mountains  of 
Pico  Blanco,  Chirripo,  Buena  Vista  and  Las  Vueltas. 
Turialba  had  a  famous  eruption  of  sand  and  ashes  which 
began  on  the  I7th  of  August,  1864,  and  lasted  to  March, 
1865.  Its  heaviest  ejected  matter  fell  to  the  west,  and  See- 
bach  classifies  it  as  andesite.  Another  eruption,  occurring  on 
February  6,  1866,  was  accompanied  by  heavy  earthquakes 
and  sent  its  ashes  as  far  as  Puntarenas. 

The  Cordillera  del  Miravalles  commences  with  the  vol- 
cano Orosi,  situated  near  the  southwest  extremity  of  Lake 
Nicaragua.  In  its  southeast  trend  it  recedes  more  and  more 
from  the  lake  and  the  San  Juan  River.  It  is  an  irregular, 
broad  and  volcano-dotted  chain,  about  sixty  geographical 
miles  long,  breaking  down  gradually  on  the  northwest  from 
Orosi  to  the  Sapoa  River,  one  of  the  southern  boundaries  of 


10 

Nicaragua.     In  this  short  distance  are  found  the  Cerro  de  la. 
Vieja  (6508  feet),  the  Montemuerto  (8000  feet),  the  beautiful 
volcano  Tenorio  (6700  feet),  the  volcanoes  Miravalles  (4665 
feet),  the  Rincon  (4498  feet),  and  the  Orosi  (5195  feet). 

These  mountains,  as  far  as  they  have  been  examined,  are 
found  to  be  of  eruptive  origin,  basalts  and  trachytes  predomi- 
nating, but  extensive  sedimentary  rock  formations  are  also 
found  upon  their  slopes,  as  well  as  vast  deposits  of  boulders, 
clay,  earth  and  volcanic  material. 

The  peninsula  of  Nicoya,  forming  a  part  of  Guanacaste, 
is  partly  an  elevated  plain  and  partly  consists  of  hills  and 
mountain  ridges  seldom  attaining  a  greater  elevation  than 
1500  feet.  It  is  also  composed  of  eruptive  rocks  and  sedi- 
mentary formations,  the  latter  being  especially  visible  in  the 
valley  of  Tempisque. 

Between  the  northern  volcanic  section  and  the  more 
regular  Talamanca  range  is  the  notable  "Ochomogo"  Pass, 
about  twenty  miles  broad,  and  a  little  more  than  5000  feet 
above  the  sea-level  at  the  water  parting. 

To  the  eastward  through  this  gap,  and  in  a  broad,  deeply 
eroded  valley,  runs  the  tumultuous  Reventazon  River,  and  to 
the  westward  the  Rio  Grande  de  Pirris.  On  the  south  of  this 
depression  the  Chirripo  Grande  mountain  mass  sends  off 
east  and  west  two  immense  flanking  ranges.  A  part  of  the 
western  range,  lying  between  San  Marcos  and  Santa  Maria, 
for  a  length  of  about  six  miles,  is  known  as  the  Dota  ridge,  to 
which  former  explorers  gave  great  importance. 

This  lofty,  transverse  and  precipitous  mountain  system 
almost  forbids  communication  between  the  northern  and 
southern  halves  of  the  Republic,  and,  as  Colonel  Church  says, 
must  at  all  times  have  had  a  marked  influence  on  the  move- 
ment of  races  in  this  part  of  Central  America.  Both  the 
northern  and  Talamanca  sections  present  mountains  in  masses 
instead  of  sierrated  like  many  Andean  chains  of  North 
America.  Those  of  the  Talamanca  section  are  Rovalo 
(7050  feet),  Pico  Blanco  (9650  feet),  Chirripo  Grande  (11,850 
feet)  and  Buena  Vista  (10,820  feet).  There  are  no  signs  :>f 
recent  volcanic  activity  in  the  Talamanca  range.  The  Tala- 
manca mountains  have  narrow  crests  and  are  very  precip- 


II 

items  on  the  Atlantic  side,  with  evidences  of  extensive  de- 
nudations and  erosions  caused  by  the  ceaseless  rain-laden 
trade-winds. 

Professor  William  M.  Gabb,  in  his  geological  sketch  of 
Talamanca,  observes  that  the  geological  structure  of  the  en- 
tire region  is  very  simple.  The  greatest  expanse  is  occupied 
by  recent  sedimentary  rocks  raised  and  nearly  entirely  meta- 
morphosed by  the  action  of  volcanic  masses. 

At  several  points  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  there  are 
found  masses  of  rocks  of  still  later  date.  Professor  Gabb 
maintains  that  the  nucleus  of  the  great  Cordillera  of  the  in- 
terior is  formed  by  granites  and  syenites,  which,  like  the  sedi- 
ment that  covers  them,  are  broken  through  here  and  there 
by  dikes  of  volcanic  origin  identical  with  the  eruptive  ma- 
terial found  on  a  greater  scale  in  the  northern  part  of  Costa 
Rica.  The  syenites  are  intrusive  and  have  their  culminating 
point  and  greatest  development  in  the  Pico  Blanco  or  Kamuk, 
a  mountain  of  great  altitude,  unusual  ruggedness  and  scarred 
with  deep  and  precipitous  canons.  All  these  dikes  are  of 
more  modern  formation  and  are  porphyritic.  Professor  Gabb 
also  notes  a  thick  deposit  of  conglomerates  and  sandstones, 
schists  and  limestones,  the  schists  being  the  most  abundant; 
although  the  conglomerates,  found  all  over  the  region,  indi- 
cate the  previous  existence  of  an  older  sedimentary  formation. 

The  pebbles  which  form  the  conglomerates  are  composed 
of  metamorphic  clay,  having  a  character  distinct  from  all  the 
other  rocks  found  in  the  country.  The  cement  is  also  clay 
or  sand.  The  absence  of  crystalline  rocks  in  the  conglom- 
erates is  irrefutable  proof  that,  when  these  were  deposited,  the 
syenites  and  granites  had  not  yet  appeared  from  the  interior  of 
the  earth.  The  limestone  and  sandstone  represent  a  less  de- 
veloped geographical  horizon  of  the  sedimentary  group,  the 
latter  appearing  occasionally  in  layers,  interstratified  with 
conglomerates  or  more  recent  schists.  In  no  place  in  Tala- 
manca have  fossils  been  found  in  these  sandstones,  although 
the  same  rocks  are  very  fossiliferous  near  Zapote  on  the  River 
Reventazon. 

In  regard  to  fossils,  Professor  Gabb  saw  at  Las  Lomas 
Station,  about  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  in  the  Bonilla 


12 

Cliffs  cutting,  shark's  teeth,  compact  masses  of  sea  shells, 
fish,  etc,  and  at  an  elevation  of  2500  feet  large  deposits  of 
compact  shell  limestone. 

The  schists  have  a  fine,  leaf-like  texture,  and  are  easily  de- 
composed and  reduced  to  a  black  mud,  if  they  have  not  been 
metamorphosed.  In  this  rock  fossils  have  been  found  which 
belong  to  a  Miocene  age. 

Along  the  Talamanca  coast  calcareous  deposits  are 
found  in  horizontal  layers,  and  are  probably  elevated  coral 
reefs,  a  rock  which  Professor  Gabb  calls  "antillite,"  and 
which  is  developed  in  the  entire  Caribbean  region.  It  be- 
longs to  the  post-Pliocene  formation,  the  last  of  the  Tertiary 
series. 

In  the  interior  valleys  a  thick  deposit  of  pebbles  and  clays 
of  recent  origin  is  observed.  The  limit  between  the  syenites 
of  the  high  mountains  and  the  metamorphosed  Miocene 
formation  is  found  in  proximity  to  the  Depuk  River.  In 
the  slopes  of  the  hills  the  schists  are  usually  decomposed  and 
covered  with  red  clay,  a  sub-soil  above  which  is  found  a  small 
•cap  of  fertile  vegetable  mold.  In  the  valley  of  Tsuku  the 
schists  are  profoundly  altered  and  transformed  in  a  mag- 
nesic  or  semi-talcous  rock.  The  schists  are  more  silicified  in 
coming  near  to  the  limits  of  the  syenites. 

Higher  up,  the  granitic  rocks  extend  in  the  direction  of 
the  Pico  Blanco  without  interruption.  The  Pico  Blanco  itself 
is  of  granite.  Three  hundred  feet  below  the  summit  porphyry 
is  observed,  while  the  summit  itself  shows  a  greenish-brown 
trachyte  with  black  spots. 

In  regard  to  the  Pacific  side  of  this  Talamanca  section, 
Professor  H.  Pittier  says,  "The  southern  coast  Cordillera,  as 
a  whole,  is  formed  of  a  nucleus  of  basaltic  or  syenitic  rocks, 
above  which  are  found  successively  limestone  in  very  deep 
banks  and  sometimes  fossiliferous ;  then  argillaceous  and 
marly  schists;  again,  sandstone  and  conglomerates,  the  latter 
forming  generally  the  crests  of  the  hills  and  giving  way  very 
easily  to  atmospheric  action,  which  produces  its  decomposi- 
tion and  is  the  cause  of  sterile  lands  characterized  by 
savannas  and  the  absence  of  forests  on  the  upper  parts  of  the 
mountains,  as  well  as  in  certain  lower  and  denuded  parts. 


13 

The  conglomerates  are  made  up  of  heterogeneous  elements 
\vhose  resistance  to  erosion  is  variable.  Some  disintegrate 
as  soon  as  they  are  exposed  to  erosion,  while  others  re- 
main unaltered  for  a  long  time.  For  this  reason  the  savannas 
are  in  many  places  covered  with  stones  of  varied  sizes. 

The  lower  valley  of  the  Pirris  presents  a  cap  of  im- 
pervious red  clay,  and  as  the  waters  do  not  readily  drain  off 
they  become  stagnant  and  make  an  unhealthy  district. 

Dr.  Frantzius,  referring  to  the  same  region,  speaks  of 
diorites  and  syenites,  also  of  calcareous  deposits  of  the 
Miocene  age  covered  with  sandstone  formations  containing 
useful  lignites.  In  his  opinion  the  mountain  of  Dota  is 
formed  almost  entirely  of  dioritic  rocks  with  some  syenitic 
nucleus.  The  same  scientist  says  further  that  the  high  plains 
of  Caiios  Gordas  are  formed  of  conglomerates  of  ashes  ejected 
by  the  volcano  o<f  Chiriqui  and  brought  there  by  the  trade- 
winds  which  prevail  in  Central  America 

The  Pacific  slope,  which  comes  boldly  to  the  water's 
edge,  is  margined  almost  -throughout  by  headlands  and  lofty 
hills,  and  has  fewer  evidences  of  extensive  denudations  and 
erosions  than  the  Atlantic  coast. 

There  is  also  a  notable  difference  between  the  outlines  of 
the  two  coasts.  The  eastern  is  regular  and  slightly  concave 
to  the  southwest,  while  the  western  is  indented  with  large  and 
small  bays  and  gulfs. 

The  most  northern  of  these  bays  is  the  Salinas,  belonging 
partly  to  Nicaragua  and  partly  to  Costa  Rica.  It  is  a 
spacious  deep-water  harbor,  overlooked  by  the  volcanic  peak 
of  Orosi.  It  is  separated  from  the  adjoining  bay,  the  Santa 
Elena,  by  Sacate  Point. 

Continuing  south,  we  come,  south  of  Cacique  Point,  to 
Port  Culebra,  which  is  a  mile  wide,  with  a  depth  of  eighteen 
fathoms.  At  the  outlet  of  this  harbor  lies  Cocos  Bay,  capa- 
cious enough  for  a  thousand  ships  to  anchor  in  the  roadstead. 
The  coast  line  south  of  Cocos  Bay,  bordered  by  numer- 
ous and  lofty  hills  and  cut  into  gorges  by  small  impetuous 
water  courses,  presents  no  harbor  as  far  as  Cape  Blanco, 
which  is  at  the  western  entrance  of  the  extensive  Gulf  of 
Nicoya.  The  gulf  extends  fifty  miles  to  the  northwest  and  is 


14 

a  magnificent  sheet  of  water,  surrounded  by  green  scenery, 
rivaling,  if  not  surpassing,  that  of  the  Bay  of  Naples,  the 
Bosphorus,  or  the  harbor  of  Rio  de  Janeiro.  Some  twenty 
islands,  large  and  small,  nearly  all  bold,  rocky  and  covered 
with  vegetation,  contribute  to  its  beauty,  while  many  small 
rivers,  draining  the  slopes  of  the  Miravalles  and  Tilaran 
sierras  and  the  mountains  o-f  the  peninsula  of  Nicoya,  flow 
into  it  and  diversify  the  scenery.  The  principal  river,  the 
Tempisque,  enters  at  the  head  of  the  gulf,  and  with  numerous 
small  branches  irrigates  much  of  the  province  of  Guanacaste. 

All  of  the  streams  have  bars  at  their  mouths,  composed 
generally  of  mud  and  broken  shells,  and  but  few  of  them  are 
navigable  even  for  a  short  distance  inland,  and  then  by  very 
small  craft.  The  whole  eastern  part  of  the  peninsula  of 
Niooya  is  broken  into  hills  and  low  mountains,  wild  and 
rarely  cultivated,  although  there  are  many  beautiful  and  fer- 
tile valleys.  The  west  side  of  the  gulf  is  full  of  reefs,  rocks, 
violent  currents,  eddies  that  run  from  one  to  three  and  a  half 
miles  an  hour,  and  is  subject  to  violent  squalls  coming  from 
the  northwestern  sierras.  The  eastern  shore  is  less  beset  by 
obstructions,  and  small  craft  go  along  it  with  ease,  and  at  high 
tide  penetrate  a  few  of  its  many  rivers.  It  rises  rapidly  a  short 
distance  inland,  but  is  at  times  bordered  by  mangrove 
swamps. 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Aranjuez,  on  a  sand  spit 
three  miles  long,  stands  Puntarenas,  the  only  port  of  entry  of 
Costa  Rica  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  which  had,  from  1814 
until  recently,  nearly  the  entire  foreign  trade  of  the  country. 
Ocean  vessels  anchor  from  one  to  two  miles  off  in  the  road- 
stead. There  is  an  iron  pier  for  loading  and  discharging. 

From  Puntarenas  'southward  to  the  unnavigable  Bar- 
ranca River  there  is  a  broad  beach  lying  at  the  foot  of  the 
high  escarpment  of  Caldera. 

The  Rio  Grande  de  Tarcoles,  which  enters  the  gulf  south 
of  the  Barranca,  has  a  dangerous  bar,  but  once  inside  it  may 
be  navigated  a  few  miles.  Its  upper  waters  irrigate  the  table- 
land of  San  Jose,  Alajuela  and  Heredia.  In  the  neighbor- 
hood of  these  towns  is  garnered  nearly  the  entire  coffee  crop 
of  Costa  Rica.  The  coast  line  south  is  rocky  and  precipitous 


until  near  Punta  Mala,  or  Judas,  at  the  southeastern  mouth 
of  the  gulf,  and  is  low  and  surrounded  by  reefs  and  rocks. 

From  Point  Judas,  low  and  covered  with  mangrove 
swamps,  the  coast  trends  southeast  in  a  long  angular  curve  for 
about  one  hundred  marine  miles  to  Point  Llorena.  It  is  dom- 
inated by  lofty  hills,  cut  through  at  intervals  by  short  impet- 
uous streams  and  a  few  estuaries.  The  only  safe  and  excel- 
lent anchorage  in  this  one  hundred  miles  is  Uvita  Bay,  be- 
hind a  rocky  reef.  From  the  precipitous  headline,  called 
Punta  Llorena,  to  Burica  Point,  the  southern  limit  of  Costa 
Rica,  the  coast  is  abrupt,  soon  rising  into  ridges  and  peaks 
from  300  to  700  meters  high  (985  to  2300  feet).  These  give 
birth  to  a  few  short  turbulent  streams.  About  half  way  be- 
tween these  two  points  the  great  Golfo  Dulce,  having  a  main 
width  of  six  miles,  penetrates  inland  northwest  about  twenty- 
eight  miles.  It  has  an  average  depth  of  one  hundred  fathoms. 

Cape  Matapalo,  which  marks  its  western  entrance,  is 
deep  and  forest  covered,  but  Banco  Point,  opposite  to  it,  is 
low.  At  the  head  of  the  gulf  is  found  the  little  Bay  of  Rincon. 
From  here  to  the  Esquinas  River,  at  the  northeast  angle  of 
the  gulf,  the  shore  is  hilly,  and  thence  to  the  harbor  of  Golfito, 
which  is  surrounded  by  high  hills,  the  country  rises  rapidly 
inland,  but  between  Golfito  and  the  entrance  to  the  gulf  it  is 
lower  and  less  broken,  and  thence  to  Platanal  Point  and 
Burica  Point,  the  coast  is  bold,  the  country  descending  grad- 
ually from  the  northeast. 

From  Point  Llorena  to  Point  Burica  the  coast  is  wild 
.and  almost  uninhabited.  Ihe  coasts  of  Golfo  Dulce  have  but 
a  few  hundred  half-breeds  as  their  sole  occupants. 

There  are  but  two  rivers  in  the  long  coast  line  from  the 
-Gulf  of  Nicoya  to  the  Golfo  Dulce,  the  Rio  Grande  de  Pirris, 
and  the  Rio  Grande  de  Terraba,  the  head  waters  of  the  former 
flowing  through  deep  canyons  with  steep  sides,  which  are 
almost  bare  of  vegetation  until  the  region  of  Guaitil  is 
reached,  where  dense  forests  are  encountered.  The  valley  of 
the  Rio  Grande  de  Terraba  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful,  ex- 
tensive and  fertile  of  Costa  Rica,  but  is  occupied  by  only 
a  few  families.  Formerly  it  was  the  home  of  a  large  indige- 
nous population. 


In  the  angle  made  by  the  River  Buena  Vista  and  Chirripo 
there  is  a  vast  ancient  cemetery,  the  graves  of  which  contain 
many  ornaments  of  gold,  principally  eagles.  An  ancient  road 
runs  by  near  this  place. 

Turning  to  the  hydrographic  basin  of  the  San  Juan  RIVT 
and  Lake  Nicaragua,  the  northeastern  slope  of  the  Miravalles 
range  is  found  to  send  off  several  small  streams  to  the  lake. 

Between  Cuajiniquil,  two  and  one-fourth  miles  east  of 
Rio  Sapoa,  and  Tortuga,  six  miles  further  east,  are  the  little 
streams,  Lapita,  El  Cangrejo,  Puente  de  Piedra,  La  Yivora, 
Guabo,  Genizaro  and  Tortuga,  the  latter  the  greatest  in  vol- 
ume, being  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  wide  at  its 
mouth  and  navigable.  In  the  further  distance  of  seventeen 
miles  going  east,  we  cross  the  rivers  Zavalos,  Cafiitas, 
Quesera,  Mena,  Mico,  Sapotillo,  Quijada,  Quijadita,  Santa 
Barbara,  Sardinia,  Barreal,  Canas,  Perrito  and,  finally,  Las 
Haciendas  wrhich  is  navigable  by  small  boats.  From  here  to 
San  Carlos,  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Nicaragua,  the  distance  is 
sixty-four  kilometers,  and  the  principal  rivers  which  cross 
this  tract  are  El  Pizote,  Papalusco,  Guaeolito,  Zapote,  Cano 
Negro  and  Rio  Frio.  The  Rio  Frio  is  of  considerable  magni- 
tude, and  with  its  many  branches  drains  a  large  area  of  the 
territory  lying  on  the  slopes  of  the  volcanoes  of  Miravalles 
and  Tenorio.  It  pours  much  sedimentary  matter  into  Lake 
Nicaragua,  and  has  thrown  an  extensive  mudbank  across  the 
lake  entrance  to  the  River  San  Juan. 

For  three  or  four  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  River 
Frio  the  lands  are  low  and  swampy.  Several  of  its  branches 
can  be  reached  and  navigated  by  cano^e,  and  even  a  small  river 
steamer  can  ascend  a  few  miles  from  the  lake. 

The  San  Carlos  River  joins  the  San  Juan  sixty-five 
miles  from  Lake  Nicaragua.  The  depth  of  its  mouth,  which 
is  obstructed  by  a  sand-bar,  varies  from  eight  to  twenty  feet, 
according  to  the  season. 

The  San  Carlos  has  numerous  affluents  which  at  times 
have  a  volume  of  water  altogether  disproportionate  to  their 
lengths.  The  distance  up  to  the  first  rapid  of  the  San  Carlos 
River,  which  is  at  El  Muelle  de  San  Rafael  where  there  are 
from  four  to  six  feet  of  water,  is  roughly  fixed  at  sixty-two 


17 

miles  by  the  course  of  the  river.  Small  steamers  could 
reach  this  point,  although  with  difficulty  on  account  of  many 
snags.  The  floods  sometimes  rise  to  their  full  height  in 
twenty-four  hours  and  carry  with  them  a  great  number  of 
trees  and  much  sand,  from  which  floating  islands  are  formed. 

Should  the  plans  of  Engineer  Menocal  for  the  Nicaragua 
Canal  be  realized,  the  waters  of  the  upper  San  Juan  and  the 
lower  San  Carlos  would  be  impounded  and  form  an  arm  of 
Lake  Nicaragua,  which  would  flood  a  large  area  in  Costa 
Rica.  The  interval  between  the  San  Carlos  and  the  River 
Frio  is  an  extensive  forest,  covering  an  undulating  plain  with 
occasional  low  hills  and  watered  by  numerous  little  streams. 
This  territory  is  fertile  and  beautiful. 

The  next  great  river,  the  Sarapiqui,  reaches  the  San  Juan 
about  twenty  miles  east  of  San  Carlos.  It  is  600  feet  wide  at 
its  mouth,  and  has  numerous  affluents  from  the  sides  of  the 
volcanoes  Poas,  Barba  and  Irazu,  the  principal  ones  being 
the  Toro  Amarilla  and  Sardinal  from  the  west,  and  the  River 
Sucio  from  the  east.  The  river  is  navigable  for  large  canoes 
up  to  its  confluence  with  the  Puerto  Viejo.  Its  banks  as 
high  up  as  to  the  River  Sucio  are  low.  The  lands  are  ex- 
tremely fertile.  El  Muelle  Nuevo  is  the  head  of  navigation, 
forty-five  miles  from  the  River  San  Juan  and  sixty-six  miles 
by  the  road  across  the  mountains  from  San  Jose. 

From  the  Sarapiqui  River  to  the  River  Colorado,  a 
branch  or  bayou  of  the  San  Juan,  the  banks  of  the  latter  in 
Costa  Rica  are  but  slightly  elevated.  The  lands  are  low  and 
swampy,  but  occasionally  a  hill  is  found  from  fifteen  to 
eighteen  feet  high. 

Below  the  Machuca  Rapids  the  San  Juan  River  is  broad 
and  deep  as  far  as  the  junction  with  its  Colorado  outlet,  about 
seventeen  miles  from  the  sea.  Here  it  turns  about  nine-tenths 
of  its  volume  of  water  into  the  Colorado.  It  is  navigable  for 
river  steamers  at  all  seasons,  but  has  a  dangerous  bar  at  its 
mouth  where  the  sea  breaks  heavily,  and  on  which  there  are 
only  from  eight  to  nine  feet  of  water. 

From  the  Colorado  Junction  to  Greytown,  some  twenty 
miles  distant,  the  San  Juan  averages  about  three  hundred 


18 

feet  in  width  for  sixteen  miles  and  100  feet  for  the  remaining 
four,  with  a  depth  at  high  water  of  from  six  to  eight  feet. 

The  Colorado  has  several  islands  in  its  course,  but  has 
excellent  anchorage  at  its  mouth.  This  river  forms  several 
lagoons  which  communicate  with  each  other  by  canos  or 
bayous  perfectly  navigable,  the  principal  being  the  Agua 
Dulce,  a  short  distance  from  the  sea,  eleven  miles  in  length, 
800  feet  in  width  and  from  ten  to  forty  feet  in  depth. 

Passing  from  the  difficult  Cano  de  la  Palma  in  the 
midst  of  swamps,  the  Cano  de  Tortuguero  is  reached,  the 
entrance  to  which  from  the  sea  is  called  Cuatro  Esquinas. 
It  is  approximately  thirty-eight  miles  long,  about  one  thou- 
sand feet  in  width,  with  a  depth  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet. 
The  rivers  Palacio  and  Penetencia,  navigable  for  boats, 
empty  into  this  cano.  The  River  Tortuguero,  which  gives 
name  to  the  plains  watered  by  its  affluents,  is  formed  from  sev- 
eral of  these  canos,  as  the  Cano  Desenredo,  Cano  Agua  Fria 
and  Cano  de  la  Lomas.  The  Cano  de  Tortuguero  communi- 
cates with  the  Parismina  by  the  canos  California  and  Fran- 
cisco Moria  Soto,  which  are  also  navigable.  The  margins  of 
the  Parismina  are  swampy.  It  has  as  its  affluents  the  Guas- 
imo,  Camaron,  Novillos  and  the  Destierro. 

The  lower  district  drained  by  the  Tortuguero  is  raised 
but  little  above  the  ocean,  and  in  flood  time  the  river  com- 
municates by  several  canos  with  the  Matina  and  with  the 
delta  of  the  Colorado,  as  well  as  with  the  lagoon  of  Caiman, 
lying  south  of  the  Colorado.  Its  numerous  upper  streams 
rise  in  the  spurs  of  Irazu  and  Turialba. 

The  Sierpe  and  Parismina  rivers  flow  into  the  sea  south 
of  Tortuguero.  The  former  is  short,  but  the  Parismina  with 
its  several  branches  is  a  child  of  Irazu.  Its  lower  course  is 
sometimes  considered  to  be  a  part  of  the  River  Reventazon, 
which  however  has  its  confluence  with  the  former  a  few 
miles  from  the  sea. 

The  Reventazon  River  has  carved  its  way  to  a  profound 
depth  around  the  south  and  southeastern  bases  of  Irazu  and 
Turialba,  and,  flanking  the  latter  volcano,  it  turns  northward 
to  join  the  Parismina.  It  receives  many  tributaries  from  the 
northern  slope  of  the  Talamanca  range,  and  interweaves  its 


19 

head  waters  with  those  of  the  Rio  Grande  de  Tarcolles  and 
the  Rio  Grande  de  Pirris,  which  flow  into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
The  Pacuare  River,  once  known  as  Suerre,  enters  the 
sea  about  half  way  between  the  mouth  of  the  Reventazon  and 
that  of  the  Maitina.  Its  waiters,  in  1630,  instead  of  flowing 
to  the  sea,  joined  the  Reventazon,  closing  the  port  of  Suerre, 
but  in  1651  Governor  Salinas  closed  the  northern  channel, 
deflecting  its  waters  and  restoring  the  port. 

The  Matina  River  is  a  short  stream  with  a  large  volume 
of  water,  which  enters  the  sea  just  north  of  Port  Limon  near 
the  roadstead  of  Moin,  where,  up  to  1880,  ocean  craft  an- 
chored. The  River  Matina  is  navigable  by  small  steamers 
over  the  bar  and  by  large  ones  above  the  bar  to  the  point 
where  it  receives  its  principal  'affluents,  the  Chirripo,  Barbilla 
and  Zent.  It  yearly  overflows  its  lower  valley,  depositing  an 
inch  or  two  of  exceedingly  fertile  mud  highly  appreciated 
by  the  banana  planters. 

The  entire  mainland  of  the  coast,  from  the  River  Colo- 
rado to  the  Matina,  is  separated  from  the  Caribbean  Sea  by 
a  continuous  narrow  sand  bank,  between  which  and  the  main- 
land is  a  lagoon,  said  to  be  navigable  the  whole  distance  by 
boats.  The  intermediate  rivers  pour  into  this  narrow  lagoon, 
driving  their  currents  across  it,  and,  cutting  through  the  sand 
bank,  enter  the  sea.  Sometimes  a  violent  gale  closes  one  of 
th-e  openings,  which  are  all  shallow,  but  the  river  again  forces 
an  exit  to  the  ocean  through  the  obstruction.  This  whole 
coast  for  sixty-five  miles,  is  forbidding  and  dangerors,  and  has 
but  little  depth  of  water  within  a  mile  of  the  shore,  upon 
which  a  monotonous,  heavy  surf  breaks  during  the  entire 
year.  It  is  only  frequented  from  April  until  August  by  fisher- 
men, who  find  their  way  to  the  River  San  Juan  through  the 
intricate  system  of  rivers  and  canos  described. 

Port  Limon,  in  latitude  10°  north  and  longitude 
83°  3'  13"  west  from  Greenwich,  is  the  only  port  of  entry  of 
Costa  Rica  on  the  Caribbean  Sea.  The  first  house  was  built 
there  in  1871.  The  harbor  faces  the  south,  and  is  formed  by 
a  little  peninsula  on  which  Limon  is  situated.  It  is  behind  a 
narrow  coral  reef.  The  site,  which  now  has  perhaps  3500 
to  4000  population,  is  being  raised  with  <earth  about  four 


20 

feet,  and  its  port  will  become  one  of  the  smoothest  of  the 
Caribbean  Sea.  A  small  island,  called  Uvita,  lies  east  at  a  dis- 
tance of  3660  feet  from  the  town.  Port  Limon  has  a  wooden 
pier  930  feet  long,  accommodating  two  sea-going  ships,  bat 
an  iron  pier  is  about  to  replace  it,  which  will  berth  four  large 
ones  of  deep  draught. 

The  Talamanca  coast  lying  south  of  Limon  is  low,  flat 
and  swampy,  except  where  it  is  broken  by  hills.  The  little 
River  Banana  is  the  first  one  met  with  going  south,  and  its 
valleys  produce  large  quantities  of  timber  and  bananas.  Next 
comes  the  Estrella,  also  a  short  stream;  then  follows  the 
Teliri,  called  in  its  lower  course  the  Sicsola.  It  is  the 
largest  stream  in  Costa  Rica  south  of  Port  Limon.  It  runs 
along  the  southern  base  of  the  great  eastern  mountains  of  the 
Talamanca  range,  through  a  spacious,  undulating,  wooded 
valley  of  100  to  150  square  miles  area,  partly  low  grounds, 
in  some  places  dry  and  in  others  swampy.  It  has  sev- 
eral branches,  like  the  Uren  coming  from  the  slopes  of  the 
Pico  Blanco,  the  Supurio  and  others.  At  the  entry  of  the 
high  valleys  of  the  Teliri  and  Coen  rivers,  the  pyramid-like 
mountains  of  Nefomin  and  Nenfiobete  appear,  at  the  foot  of 
which  the  interior  plain  of  Talamanoa,  fifteen  kilometers  in 
length  and  eight  kilometers  in  width,  extends  from  south- 
west to  northeast,  and  so  uniformly  that  the  water  courses  run 
indifferently  and  frequently  change  their  beds. 

Southward  of  Sicsola  is  the  Tilorio  or  Changuinola, 
which  makes  a  turbulent  way  to  the  sea  from  the  Tal- 
amanca mountains.  Along  its  lower  margin  mud  flats 
spread  to  a  great  width,  and,  from  its  mouth  towards  the 
northwest,  cover  a  region  which  surrounds  also  the  lagoon 
of  Sansan,  and  extends  up  the  rivers  Zhorquin  and  Sicsola. 
Behind  the  muddy  zone  the  lands  rise  rapidly  into  hills,  which 
in  a  few  miles  reach  an  altitude  of  several  thousand  feet,  at 
times  intermingling  with  the  Cordillera.  Along  the  entire  sea 
margin  of  Talamanca  runs  a  narrow  sand  belt  of  firm  land, 
at  times  not  a  hundred  feet  wide,  like  that  described  between 
the  Matina  and  San  Juan  rivers. 

Within  this  sandbelt  are  long,  narrow,  deep  lagoons 
filled  with  half-stagnant  water  from  the  mud  flats.  These 


21 

lagoons  usually  open  into  the  rivers  which  descend  from  the 
mountains. 

Between  the  Sicsola  and  the  Tilorio  lies  the  already 
mentioned,  crooked  and  deep  lagoon  called  the  Laguna  de 
Sansan. 

At  Limon,  Cahuita  and  Puerto  Viejo,  the  hills,  which  are 
connected  by  spurs  with  the  more  elevated  country  of  the 
interior,  extend  to  the  ocean  coast.  Between  them,  in  plains 
extending  from  one  to  five  miles  inland,  are  forest-covered 
swamps,  overflowed  with  not  less  than  ten  feet  of  water  in 
the  rainy  season  and  only  traversable  in  the  dry. 

Costa  Rica  claims  sovereignty  on  the  Atlantic  side 
southeast  as  far  as  the  Island  of  Escudo  de  Veragua,  includ- 
ing the  ancient  Ducado  de  Veragua,  whose  frontier  follows 
the  coast  of  Chiriqui  Viejo  to  the  crest  of  the  Cordillera,  and 
crosses  it  to  the  headwaters  of  the  River  Calobebora,  then 
down  this  stream  to  the  Escudo  de  Veragua. 

Since  their  independence  Colombia  and  Costa  Rica  have 
been  in  dispute  in  regard  to  their  boundary  line.  Colombia 
has  never  ceased  to  claim  jurisdiction  over  the  entire  Carib- 
bean coast  of  Costa  Rica,  and  even  over  that  of  Nicaragua  as 
far  north  as  Cape  Gracias  a  Dios.  In  November,  1896,  both 
governments  signed  a  convention  submitting  their  dispute 
to  the  arbitration  of  the  President  of  the  French  Republic,  or, 
in  the  event  of  his  failure  to  act,  to  the  President  of  Mexico 
or  of  the  Swiss  Confederation. 

The  principal  lakes  of  Costa  Rica  are  the  Laguna  Manati, 
northwest  from  the  Sarapiqui  River;  the  Lagunas  de  Poas 
and  de  Barba,  eaich  on  a  volcano  bearing  its  name;  Lagunas 
de  Sansan  and  Samay,  towards  the  east  and  near  the  Siesola 
River,  in  Talamanca;  Laguna  Tenoria,  in  Guanacaste;  La- 
guna San  Carlos,  in  the  plains  of  San  Carlos;  Laguna  de 
Arenal,  between  Las  Cafias  and  San  Carlos,  and  Laguna  de 
Sierpe,  in  the  south,  northward  from  the  Golfo  Dulce. 

Far  away  from  Costa  Rica,  in  the  Pacific  Ocean,  lies  the 
Cocos  Island,  about  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  miles  to  the 
southwest  of  the  Golfo  Dulce,  in  N.  latitude  5°  32'  57"  and 
longitude  86°  58'  25"  W.  of  Greenwich.  Its  highest  point 
reaches  2250  feet,  wherce  the  descent  is  gradual  to  a  bold, 


22 

steep  coast,  which  has  many  irregularities  and  rocks  and  a 
surf-beaten  shore.  Chatham  Bay  is  its  best  harbor,  having 
room  for  a  dozen  ships.  The  interior  is  broken  into  numer- 
ous fertile  valleys,  but  there  is  probably  not  a  square  kilo- 
meter of  level  ground  in  the  entire  island.  Other  islands  are 
Chira,  Venado,  San  Lucas,  Carlo,  etc. 

Mineral  Wealth. — In  regard  to  the  mineral  wealth  of 
Costa  Rica,  petroleum  has  been  discovered  near  Uruchiko 
on  the  Talamanca  coast,  and  coal  in  certain  sandstone  forma- 
tions on  both  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  sides  of  the  Talamanca 
section. 

In  the  province  of  Alajuela,  a  little  to  the  north  of  the 
cart  road  which  runs  from  San  Jose  to  Puentarenas,  is  Monte 
Aguacate,  part  of  an  old  mountain  range  which  extends  far 
to  the  northwest,  and  not  very  distant  from  the  Gulf  of 
Nicoya.  In  general,  it  is  of  metamorphic  formation,  prin- 
cipally of  diorite  and  porphyry. 

Here,  in  a  good  climate,  at  2000  feet  elevation,  are  found 
auriferous  veins  of  great  richness.  They  are  of  quartz  mixed 
with  decomposed  feldspathic  rocks,  and  have  yielded  very  lu- 
crative bonanzas.  The  first  mine  was  Guapinol,  one  bonanza 
of  which  produced  $1,000,000.  Several  other  mines  were 
worked,  from  one  of  which  (Los  Castros)  $2,000,000  were 
taken  in  a  few  years.  It  is  estimated,  from  the  best  data  ob- 
tainable, that  about  £1,000,000  have  been  taken  from  Monte 
Aguacate.  Several  of  these  veins  are  from  six  to  seven  feet 
wide,  but  that  called  the  Quebrada  Honda  is  sixteen  feet  wide. 
Most  of  the  ore  is  of  a  high  grade  and  of  refractory  character. 
It  is  probable  that  the  whole  southwestern  slope  of  the 
Guatusos  and  Miravalles  ranges  of  mountains  is  auriferous. 
The  rocks  in  the  northwestern  extension  of  this  district  con- 
sist principally  of  feldspar,  porphyry,  basalt  and  dolorite. 

The  gold  veins  nearly  all  run  northeast  and  southwest, 
and  are  encased  in  feldspar,  sometimes  in  porphyry,  and  occa- 
sionally in  basalt.  They  consist,  in  great  part,  of  crystalline 
quartz,  and  are  from  two  to  forty  feet  wide.  Professor  Pittier 
also  found  gold  in  the  slopes  of  the  Buena  Vista  mountain. 
Gold  is  further  found  in  the  Talamanca  mountains,  especially 


23 

in  the  placer  grounds  of  the  Duedi  River,  and  on  the  inferior 
hills  between  the  Lari  and  Coen  rivers. 

Along  the  latter,  and  near  Akbeta,  also  on  the  shore  of 
Puerto  Viejo,  iron  exists. 

Copper  and  silver,  Professor  Pittier  says,  have  been  dis- 
covered in  Diquis,  between  Paso  Real  and  Lagarto,  and 
native  copper  in  Puriscal.  Other  mines  are  included  in  the 
following  table: 


The  Principal  Mines  Registered  in  1892. 


Name  of  Mine. 

Canton. 

Location 

Product. 

La  Trinidad    
La  Union  
Sacrafamilia  
La  Minita    .   .           . 
Mina  de  los  Castros 
San  Rafael  
Mina  de  losOreamuno  . 
Quebrada  Honda  .... 

Espa 
Punt 
Alaji 

Sant 

Cart 
Sard 

rza    . 
arenas 
tela    . 

amon 

go     . 
nal    . 

Rio  Ciruelitas  .... 
Shores  of  Rio  Seco  .  . 
Monte  de  Aguacate  . 

Corralillo 

Golds 

Gold, 
Coppe 

nd  silve 

ilver  an 
•  ore. 

•  ores. 
d  lead  ores. 

Quebrada  Honda  .  .  . 
C  >rralillo 

Trinidad  de  Aguacate   . 

Cerro  de  San  Ramon 
Shores  of  Rio  Jesus   . 
Cordillera  de  Aguacate 
Rio  de  Agua  Caliente  . 
Sardinal 

Mina  de  Acosta    .   ._  .    . 
Palniares 

Las  Concavas     

Mata  Palo    
Puerta  de  Palacio    .   .    . 
Hoja  Chiques     .   . 
Chapernal 

It  should  be  stated  that,  with  the  exception  of  gold  and 
some  silver,  little  is  mined.  The  deposits  of  coal,  petroleum, 
copper  and  silver  have  thus  far  yielded,  under  present  method's 
of  management,  outputs  of  no  commercial  value. 

However,  anthracite  is  found  at  Santa  Maria  Dota,  De- 
partment of  Puriscal.  A  specimen  of  it,  analyzed  'by  Dr. 
L.  J.  Matos,  chief  of  the  laboratories  of  the  Philadelphia  Com- 
mercial Museum,  gave  these  results: 

It  is  a  good  quality  of  anthracite  coal  and  compares  very 
favorably  with  the  best  grades  that  are  mined  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. Color,  black;  slight  tendency  to  show  irridescence; 
fracture,  conchoidal,  brittle;  analysis,  specific  gravity,  1,343; 
weight  per  cubic  foot,  83.93  pounds. 


24 

Proximate  composition : 

Moisture 2.60  per  ceLt. 

Volatile  matter 3.56        " 

Fixed  carbou 88.20        " 

Ash 5.64        " 


Total 100  " 

Sulphur 4319    " 

Coke 93.84 

Coke  per  ton  of  coal 2002.01  pounds. 

Fuel  value 9.14        " 

Fuel  ratio 1:24.77 

There  are  to  be  mentioned  also  some  mineral  waters,  as, 
for  instance,  those  near  the  mouth  of  the  Isqui  River,  on  the 
Talamanca  coast;  those  in  Agua  Caliente,  about  five  miles 
from  the  City  of  Cartago  and  belonging  to  the  Bella  Vista 
Company;  those  of  Orosi  and  Salitral,  of  Poas,  Miravalles, 
Ausoles,  Bagaces,  San  Carlos,  Liberia,  San  Roque,  etc. 


II. 


CLIMATE    OF    COSTA    RICA. 


The  climate  of  Costa  Rica  depends  on  its  situation  In 
the  tropics,  on  the  position  of  the  sun  at  different  times  of 
the  year,  and  on  the  topography,  but,  owing  to  the  narrow- 
ness of  the  country  and  its  situation  between  the  two  great 
oceans,  it  is  well-tempered  by  the  alisios  (northeast  trades) 
and  other  winds. 

I  begin  this  chapter  with  the  following  table  which  gives 
the 

Meteorological  Conditions  in  San  Jose  During  the  Year  J896. 


Temperature  in  C.° 

Evapora- 
tion. 

Humidity. 

Atm'sph'ic 
Pressure. 

Max. 

Min. 

Average. 

Average. 

Average. 

Average 
in  mm. 

January  .  .  . 
February  .  .  . 
March  .... 
April  
May  
June  
July  .  . 

28.5 
31-8 
32.4 
28.4 
29.2 
28.8 
29.2 
29.2 
26.6 
28.4 
29.0 
27.7 

10.8 
10.5 

12.2 

I4.8 
15-8 
14.9 
15-8 
14.7 
14.4 
14.8 
14.2 
II.9 

18.60 
19.24 
19.84 
20.13 

20.10 

20.32 

20.10 

20.17 

19.97 

20.13 

[9.78 
19.30 

Pet 

26.97 
33-97 
42.77 
19.65 
19.84 
18.67 
19.84 
22.81 
17.87 
19.65 
19-93 
25.29 

cent. 
78 
74 

5 

11 
11 

1 

80 

66586 
665-39 

604  •  87 

665.32 
665.09 
66532 
664.38 
664.83 
664.87 
664.70 
66536 

665.21 

August  .... 
September  .  . 
October  .... 
November  .  . 
December  .  . 

Average    .   . 

28.71 

13-73 

19.81 

23-94 

8r 

First  Half  of  1897. 


Temperature  in  C.° 

Evapora- 
tion. 

Humidity. 

Atm'sph'ic 
Pressure. 

Max. 

Min. 

Average. 

Average. 

Average. 

Average 
in  mm. 

Per  cent. 

January    .   .   . 
February  .   .    . 
March    .... 

29-5 
3i-9 
3i-7 

'£ 

10.9 

19-25 
19.78 
20.51 

30-77 

32 

78 
70 
72 

665.53 
666.52 
665.70 

April  . 
May    

32.7 
30.3 
293 

12.2 

14.0 
155 

21.02 
20.52 
20.40 

36.80 
24-29 
16.40 

B 

85    . 

665-59 
665.52 
665.32 

June   .       .  . 

(25) 


26 

The  average  atmospheric  pressure  of  Saoi  Jose,  the  cap- 
ital of  the  country,  is  665.21  mm.  The  maximum  oc- 
curs regularly  during  the  months  from  October  to  March 
inclusive,  at  nine  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  year 
at  eleven  o'clock  p.  m.  The  minimum  occurs  always  in  the 
afternoon  at  four  o'clock  during  the  first  eight  months  of  the 
year,  and  at  three  o'clock  during  the  last  four  months. 

The  prevailing  wind  is  from  the  northeast,  or,  better, 
north-northeast  and  east.  During  August,  September  and 
October  an  increase  of  the  northwest  winds  causes  the 
heavy  rains  of  that  season.  West-northwest  and  northwest 
winds  blow  also  from  May  to  August. 

The  daily  variation  of  winds  is  generally  as  follows : 
At  seven  a.  m.  the  most  frequent  winds  blow  from  S.  E., 
to  N.  E.;  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  from  E.  to  N.  N.  E;  at  one 
o'clock  and  at  four  o'clock  p.  m.  from  E.  N.  E.  to  N.;  from 
seven  o'clock  p.  m.  the  movement  is  retrograde.  The  veloc- 
ity is  least  from  seven  to  ten  o'clock  a.  m.,  and  most  from  one 
to  four  o'clock  p.  m. 

In  1889,  during  the  time  of  observations  at  San  Jose,, 
there  were  noted  13  hours  of  north  winds,  186  N.  N.  E., 
571  N.  E.,  227  E.  N.  E.,  93  E.,  58  E.  S.  E.,  25  S.  E.,  6  S.  S.  E.; 
S.  none,  S.  S.  W.  none,  I  S.  W.,  3  W.  S.  W.,  4  W.,  85 
W.  N.  W. 

The  number  of  calms  is  small.  The  wind  is  nearly  al- 
ways moderate,  but  during  the  dry  season  the  dust  whirled  up 
in  the  cities  is  very  disagreeable.  The  climate  of  the  uplands 
is  an  eternal  spring. 

The  coldest  month  is  January;  December  and  February 
are  relatively  cold.  The  hottest  months  are  May  and  June. 
The  heat  is,  at  all  times,  moderate  and  agreeable.  The  course 
of  the  temperature  has  all  the  characters  of  an  insular  climate, 
without  having  so  much  humidity.  The  oscillation  of  the 
average  temperature  is  greatest  in  March  and  during  the  dry 
season,  as  at  that  time  the  sky  is  clear  and  the  soil  exposed 
to  uninterrupted  insolation  during  the  day,  while  the  earth's 
radiation  of  heat  during  the  night  is  rapid.  Also  the  daily 
oscillation  is  considerable  during  the  dry  season,  and  continues 
during  the  first  month  of  the  rainy  season,  according  to  the 
condition  of  the  sky. 


27 

In  1890  the  sun  shone  in  San  Jose  1911  hours,  that  is  an 
average  of  five  hours  and  fourteen  minutes  per  day.  Febru- 
ary is  the  month  of  most  sunshine  and  least  nebulosity.  The 
hour  of  most  sunshine  during  the  year  is  that  between  eight 
and  nine  a.  m.,  and  that  of  the  least  is  in  the  afternoon. 

The  oscillation  of  the  temperature  of  the  soil  is,  at  a 
depth  of  one  meter,  2,  13°  C,  per  year.  At  a  depth  of  three 
meters,  the  temperature  of  the  soil  is  lowest  in  February  and 
March,  when  it  is  20,  48°  C.,  and  highest  in  August,  when  it 
is  20,  75°  C. 

The  daily  variation  is  almost  nothing  during  the  first 
three  months  of  the  year,  and  the  sky  is  relatively  clear, 
while,  from  May  to  October,  not  one  day  is  clear.  During 
the  hottest  hours  of  the  day  the  sky  begins  regularly  to  be 
darkened  by  clouds,  due  to  ascending  atmospheric  currents. 

In  San  Jose  the  sky  is  ordinarily  clear  between  midnight 
and  noon,  even  during  the  most  rainy  months,  and  cloudy 
the  rest  of  the  twenty-four  hours.  Although  the  rainfalls  are 
abundant  here  from  May  to  October,  with  rare  exceptions 
they  do  not  last  more  than  a  few  hours  each  day.  The  morn- 
ings are  generally  splendid  and  the  air  very  pure,  and  nearly 
every  day  the  sunset  can  be  clearly  observed. 

From  May  to  November  there  are  about  two  hours  of 
copious  rain  daily  between  one  and  four  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, averaging,  with  great  regularity,  from  ten  to  twelve 
inches  a  month,  and  from  seventy  to  eighty  inches  during 
the  year.  Towards  the  end  of  June  there  is  a  short  dry  period 
called  "Veranillo  de  San  Juan." 

Through  the  Desengafio  and  Palma  Passes  the  northern 
rains  penetrate  a  short  distance  every  day,  and  the  northern 
descent  of  the  Palma  towards  Carillo  is  probably  the  most 
rainy  district  of  the  Republic. 

At  Tres  Rios,  having  an  elevation  of  4140  feet,  six  miles 
east  of  San  Jose,  at  the  western  foot  of  the  Ochomogo  Pass, 
the  rain  record  for  126  days  out  of  ten  months  showed  a  fall 
of  loo  inches,  while  at  San  Jose,  during  the  same  period  of 
ten  months  there  were  147  rainy  days,  with  a  fall  of  eighty- 
four  inches.  In  the  month  of  May  Professor  Pittier,  to  whom 
we  owe  these  excellent  data,  measured  nine  inches  in  rainfall  in 
one  and  one-half  hours. 


28 


gwjl  1 


l   1 


O>  1          to  O\  • 


I  I 


mi 

^    ' 


«3"S2I  1  5° 

M     ^     ^  M 


. 


SSI 


o 


29 

The  daily  curve  of  rainfall  shows  a  minimum  very  ac- 
centuated in  the  first  half  of  the  day.  Rain  begins  to  fall 
about  eleven  o'clock,  and  continues  to  augment  rapidly  from 
hour  to  hour  until  it  reaches  its  maximum  between  four  and 
five  o'clock  p.  m.;  from  this  time  on  it  diminishes  gradually 
until  morning.  The  daily  maximum  of  rain  is  reached  about 
sunset,  although  in  January  the  heaviest  rainfalls  are  ob- 
served between  one  and  two  o'clock  p.  m.  The  most  prob- 
able hour  of  rain  is  between  four  and  five  o'clock  p.  m.  It 
seldom  rains  between  three  and  four  o'clock,  and  very  seldom 
during  the  morning  hours. 

Thunderstorms  reach  their  maximum  in  May.  The  rela- 
tive humidity  of  the  air  is  such  that  the  climate  can  be  con- 
sidered a  favored  one.  Its  annual  curve  shows  three  minima 
and  three  maxima.  The  minima  are  observed  between  Feb- 
ruary and  March,  in  July,  and  between  November  and  De- 
cember; the  maxima  in  June,  September  and  December. 
These  lines,  of  course,  are  parallel  with  those  indicating  the 
distribution  of  rain.  The  maximum  is  noted  at  sunrise,  the 
minimum  at  two  o'clock  p.  m.,  with  an  average  oscillation  jf 
twenty-four  per  cent. 

From  1866  to  1880,  the  rain  gauge  record  kept  by  Mason 
at  San  Jose  shows  a  yearly  average  precipitation  of  sixty- 
four  and  one-fourth  inches,  or  1631  millimeters. 

It  is  as  follows: 

The  Rainfall  in  San  lose  from  J866  to  J880  in  Mm. 


1866 
1867 
1868 
1869 
1870 
1871 
1872 
1873 
1874 


1878 
1879. 
1880 


181 


45 


Average 22       5     241    44    217    208    208    222    299    266    122     35  1631 


187 
330 

210 


2.SO 


114 

142 

121 

42 

21 

70 

121 

223 

61 
92 


1397 
1436 
1562 

33  1905 
1925 
2197 
1418 

201543 


1492 
1282 


79  '357 

20  1580 

82193 
— 1562 


30 

There  is  every  year  a  number  of  slight  earthquakes  in 
San  Jose,  generally  undulating  from  west  to  west-northwest, 
and  occurring  mostly  between  eleven  p.  m.  and  six  a.  m.  The 
greatest  number  are  observed  at  the  beginning  of  the  rainy 
season. 

The  rainy  season  on  the  Caribbean  slope  of  the  country 
does  not  correspond  to  that  of  the  Pacific.  In  fact  there  are 
no  continuously  dry  months,  and  on  the  northern  declivities 
of  the  volcanoes  of  Turialba,  Irazu,  Barba  and  Poas,  it  rains 
more  or  less  during  the  entire  year;  also  near  Lake  Nica- 
ragua it  rains  nearly  continuously,  and  the  mountains  of  the 
Guatuso  country  and  the  surroundings  of  the  volcano  of 
Orosi  are  seldom  without  clouds.  At  times  there  are  cloud- 
bursts of  tremendous  power,  broadening  rivers  for  miles. 
Port  Limon  is  said  to  have  an  annual  rainfall  of  eighty-nine 
inches,  but  it  is  greatly  exceeded  by  that  of  Colon,  which 
averages  120  inches.  The  mean  rainfall  at  Greytown  for 
1890,  1891,  1892,  was  267  inches  yearly.  The  late  United 
States  Commission  estimated  the  average  at  Lake  Nicaragua 
at  eighty  inches,  and  in  the  basin  of  the  San  Juan  River  at 
150  inches. 

The  climate  of  Talamanca  is  for  the  same  reason  very 
unhealthy  in  the  proximity  of  the  coast,  and  also  in  the  lower 
course  of  the  rivers  a  similarly  deadly  climate  prevails.  In 
normal  years  there  are  two  dry  and  two  wet  seasons.  The 
rains  commence  regularly  in  May  or  June  and  last  until  the 
end  of  July.  The  months  of  August  and  September  are  more 
or  less  dry.  In  October  there  are  some  heavy  showers,  and 
extensive  rains  begin  which  characterize  the  months  of  No- 
vember, December  and  January.  The  driest  months  are 
February,  March  and  April.  The  high  region  is  extremely 
humid,  giving  rise  to  fogs  and  rains.  The  mosses  which 
almost  completely  envelop  the  stems  of  the  trees  are  con- 
stantly dropping  water,  and  the  rivers  in  this  section  are  al- 
most impassable. 

The  climate  of  the  great  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande  de  Ter- 
raba  is  similar  to  that  described  for  the  terrace  lands.  Both 
regions  have  distinctly  marked  characters.  Rains  begin  in 
April,  grow  heavier  towards  September,  and  cease  about  the 


•end  of  November.  During  the  rest  of  the  year  dry  weather 
prevails,  although  sometimes  heavy  showers  relieve  this  arid 
condition.  In  the  lower  zone  pronounced  radiation  causes  a 
heavy  dew  and  extensive  fogs,  and  both  are  characteristic  of 
this  section. 

The  excessive  heat  felt  on  the  lowlands  diminishes  grad- 
ually with  the  rising  of  the  land  towards  the  high  moun- 
tains, but  at  times  a  height  of  1500  feet  will  be  found  cooler 
than  one  of  3000  feet.  In  the  Santa  Clara  district,  for  instance, 
it  is  cooler  at  500  feet  elevation  than  it  is  in  the  Reventazon 
valley  at  1500  feet.  In  general,  the  torrid  lands  of  the  coun- 
try, ranging  from  the  sea  to  150  feet  above  it,  and,  if  not  clear 
and  well-drained,  even  up  to  400  and  500  feet,  abound  in 
malarial  fevers;  but  as  high  ground,  having  an  elevation  of 
from  1500  to  3000  feet  is  reached,  the  fevers  are  of  light 
type  and  not  dangerous,  while  from  3000  to  5000  feet  the 
diseases  are  those  of  the  temperate  zone,  and  are  due  less  to 
local  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  than  to  personal  neglect. 

There  were  no  epidemic  diseases  in  1897.  In  October 
30,  1894,  sixteen  medical  districts  were  established  by  law, 
and  so  were  a  number  of  hospitals  and  quarantine  stations 
in  the  ports  of  the  Republic. 


III. 


CHARACTER   OF    VEGETATION. 

This  chapter  I  begin  with  a  phyto-geographical  classifica- 
tion given  by  Dr.  Carl  Hoffman  and  published  in  Bonplandia 
in  1858.  He  distinguishes: 

First. — Coast  regions  (sea  shores  and  salt  swamps). 

Second. — Regions  of   tropical  forests  and  savannas,  stretching 

from  the  coast  regions  to  a  height  of  900  meters. 
Third. — Regions  of  high  plains,  lying  between  900  to  1500  meters 

of  elevation. 
Fourth. — Region  of   upper   tropical   forests,    situated    between 

1500  to  2150  meters  of  altitude. 

Fifth. — Region  of  oaks,  from  2150  to  2750  meters  in  height. 
Sixth. — Region  of  chaparrales,  from  2750  to  3050  meters  up. 
Seventh. — Region  of  subalpine  or  subandine  flora,  from  3050 

meters  up  to  the  tops  of  the  high  mountains. 

Dr.  Polakowsky  enumerates  cultivated  lands,  virgin  for- 
ests, open  forests  and  savannas. 

Another  division  is  given  by  Dr.  Moritz  Wagner.  He 
mentions  a  j.itera.1  zone,  a  tropical  forest  zone  and  a  zone  of 
savannas. 

He  also  distinguishes  on  the  volcano  of  Chiriqui  the  fol- 
lowing successive  regions: 

First. — Regions  of  evergreen  forest  trees  and  palms,  bananas, 
Araceae,  etc.,  to  a  height  of  550  meters,  with  an  average  tem- 
perature of  26°  t9  24°  C. 

Second. — Region  of  tree  ferns  and  mountain  orchids,  from  550 
to  1 220  meters,  with  an  average  temperature  of  23°  to  18°  C. 

Third. — Region  of  Rosacese,  Senecionodese,  Gramineae  and 
Agave  americana,  from  1220  to  1585  meters. 

Fourth. — Region  of  Cupuliferae  and  Betulaceae,  mostly  oaks  and 
alders,  from  1585  to  3050  meters. 

Fifth. — Higher  region  above  3050  meters. 

(32) 


33 

Dr.  Wagner  calls  special  attention  to  a  noted  uniformity 
of  the  flora  on  the  coasts  of  both  oceans,  and  Professor  Pit- 
tier  affirms  that  the  vegetation  between  Colon  and  Greytown 
on  one  side,  and  between  Panama  and  San  Juan  del  Sur  on 
the  other  side,  is  remarkably  uniform.  The  litoral  zone  has 
a  width  of  about  four  maritime  miles.  The  predominating 
flora  is  composed  of  Rhizophora  mangle,  Hippomane  maii- 
cinella,  Cocos  nucifcra,  Chrysobalanus  icaco,  Crescent  ia 
citjcte,  Acacia  spadicigera,  Cccsalpinia  bondncclla  and  other 
Leguminoste;  Acrostichum  aurcimi,  Ipomoca  pescaprce,  Avi- 
cennia  nitida,  Uniola  Pitticrii  and  also  Eiiphorbiacece,  etc. 

The  zone  of  tropical  forests  shows,  especially  on  the 
Atlantic  side  behind  the  coast  region,  a  strip  of  from  twenty 
to  twenty-two  miles  in  width,  with  lofty  trees  of  Rubiacece, 
Myrtacca,  Mclastomacece,  Sterculiacccc,  Euphorbiacece, 
Meliacece,  Urticacece,  Moracece,  Anacardiacece,  S  apindacece , 
Leguminostf  and  Palmce.  It  is  relatively  free  from  ligneous 
undergrowth,  having  more  monocotyledonous  plants,  such  as 
Cycadece,  Scitaminea?,  Cannaccce,  Marantacece,  Cyperacex, 
J'ilices  and  Bromcliacccc,  underneath.  The  latter  orders  figurer 
also  with  Orchidea  and  Loranthacece  among  the  epiphytes 
and  parasites  which  cover  the  trees.  Among  the  most  char- 
acteristic plants  of  this  region  we  name  the  coyol  palm 
(Acrocomia),  corozo  (Attalea  cohune),  biscoyol  (Bactris  hor- 
rida),  palmiche  (Elais  melanococca)  and  Raphia  nicaraguensis 
which  forms  almost  forests  along  the  River  San  Juan; 
further,  Tecoma  pentaphylla,  Bombax  ceiba,  Eriodendron, 
Sponti-ias,  Croton  gossypifolins,  Hymencea  courbaril,  rubber 
trees  (Castilloa  costaricencis  and  C.  elastica),  Geoff r&a  superba, 
Simaba  cedron,  species  of  Enterolobium,  Casal  pinia,  Liquidam- 
bar,  Copaifera,  Cedrela,  Swietenia,  Sapota,  Pithecolobium, 
Palicourea,  Cinchona,  Piper,  Ficus,  Cecropia;  still  further, 
smilax,  vanilla,  etc.,  Many  of  these  characteristic  plants  are 
largely  social,  such  as  the  piper,  ferns,  palms  and  others. 

Moritz  Wagner  states  that  all  along  the  southern  limits 
of  Costa  Rica  a  likeness  of  climatic  and  geological  condi- 
tions gives  to  the  vegetation  a  nearly  uniform  character, 
while  further  northward  a  notable  contrast  is  observed  be- 
tween the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  slopes  of  the  mountain  groups 


34 

and  on  the  interior  terrace  lands.  The  Atlantic  slope,  with 
more  constant  humidity  of  air,  is  characterized  by  vast,  dense, 
evergreen,  virgin  forests,  while  the  Pacific  lands,  with  a  rela- 
tively dry  climate  and  rainless  summer,  present  more  open 
forests  and  savannas,  with  many  deciduous  trees  and  shrubs. 
However,  deep  river  valleys  and  some  slopes  near  the  water- 
shed have  dense,  evergreen  forests,  and  their  vegetation  does 
not  differ  much  from  that  of  the  Atlantic  slope.  The  flora  of 
the  high  terrace  lands  has  been  so  altered  by  thorough  cul- 
tivation as  to  have  almost  lost  its  original  character. 

The  Atlantic  virgin  forests,  as  well  as  those  in  the  region 
of  the  San  Juan  River  and  of  Lake  Nicaragua,  which  com- 
prise two-thirds  of  Costa  Rican  territory,  show  such  a  dense 
vegetation  that  its  interior  can  be  penetrated  almost  only 
by  way  of  the  rivers,  and  its  general  character  and  its  enor- 
mous extension  be  studied  only  from  high  mountains. 
Owing  to  the  very  mountainous  character  of  the  country, 
over  half  of  its  area  lies  between  900  and  2100  meters  above 
the  sea,  and  is  almost  wholly  covered  with  virgin  forest.  This 
forest  here  and  there  ascends  still  higher,  reaching-  the  upper 
limit  of  the  oak  region  about  2700  meters  above  the  sea. 

Dr.  Polakowsky,  in  an  interesting  publication  entitled 
"Flora  of  Costa  Rica,"  calls  the  forest  region  of  the  San 
Juan  River,  in  view  of  its  luxuriant  character,  "The  Central 
American  Hylsea,"  and  this  name  Professor  Pittier  applies 
also  to  the  entire  Atlantic  region,  attributing  to  it  a  distinctly 
South  American  character. 

The  zone  of  the  open  forests  and  savannas,  which  has 
park-like  features,  is  rarely  found  away  from  the  Pacific  side, 
where  it  forms  a  belt  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  miles  in  width, 
interspersed  with  more  densely  forested  river  valleys,  islands 
of  higher  and  thicker  virgin  forests,  isolated  trees  or  groups 
of  trees,  sometimes  also  with  catingas  and  meadows  flecked 
with  shrubs  and  matorrales. 

The  savannas  and  open  forests  spread  to  a  considerable 
extent  over  Guanacaste,  where  they  are  a  continuation  of 
those  of  Rivas  in  Nicaragua;  also  over  the  plains  of  Terraba, 
especially  in  the  region  of  Buenos  Aires  and  Terraba;  and 
over  the  coast-lands  of  Golfo  Dulce.  There  are  some 


35 

-small  similar  tracts  near  Alajuela,  Turialba,  Santa  Clara  and 
at  some  other  points,  as  well  as  catingas  and  paramos  in  the 
high  mountain  ridges  of  the  south.  The  paramos  are  found 
on  poor  soil  and  have  a  vegetation  more  herbaceous  than 
ligneous,  which,  when  moist,  takes  on  the  character  of  turf. 

The  trees  of  the  savannas  are  generally  of  little  height, 
•excepting  the  Enterolobium  cyclocarpum  (the  guanacaste), 
the  pochote  and  ceiba.  The  grass  lands  are  almost  wholly 
composed  of  Graminea  and  Cyperacea,  especially  in  the 
savannas  of  Guanacaste.  The  most  characteristic  plants  are 
Digitaria  marginata  and  Paspalum  uotatum,  besides  species 
of  Setaria,  Panicum,  Eragrostis,  Andropogon,  Isolepis, 
Cyperus,  Rhyndiospora  and  Scleria,  as  well  as  of  ferns 
(Pteris  aquilina)  and  Schiz&a  occidentalis. 

Other  abundant  plants  in  the  open  forests  and  savannas 
are  Composites  (Zemenia,  Pectis,  Spilanthes);  Rubiacea 
(Spermacoce) ;  Polygalacea?;  Iridacece;  Moracea  (Madura, 
Ficus) ;  Mdastomacecc  (Miconia,  Clidemia,  Conostegia,  Lcan- 
dra) ;  Cypcracecc;  Convolvulacece;  Euphorbiacece  ;  Bombacacece; 
Sauvagcsia.  Further,  Myrtacece  (Psidium,  Alibertia  edulis) ; 
Curatella  americana  (chamico);  Roupala  (danto  hedliondo); 
Byrsonima  crassifolia  (nance);  Miconia  argentea  DC. 
(santa  maria);  guacimo  macho  (Luhea),  guacmro  de  ternero 
(Guazuma  nlmi  folia) ;  burio  (Bombax  apeiba) ;  fiambar 
(Cocobola) ;  Davilla  lucida;  Duranta  Plumieri;  Proteacea; 
and  Acacia  sclcroxyla  Lonchocarpus  atropurpureus,  Dalbergia 
and  many  other  Leguminosce,  especially  Mimosa  pudica, 
which  gives  large  tracts  in  many  places  a  special  character, 
and  still  more  so  as,  being  often  very  abundant  and  the  plants 
tangled  together,  a  general  movement  all  around  is  caused 
when  one  is  touched. 

Among  the  epiphytes  and  parasites  may  be  mentioned 
small  ferns,  Peperomia,  Epidendrum,  Loranthus,  Aroidea, 
Tillandsia  and  other  Bromeliacea,  mosses,  lichens,  etc. 

Professor  Pittier  attributes  to  this  flora  of  the  Pacific 
slope  a  more  northern  origin. 

During  the  dry  season  the  vegetation  of  the  savannas 
almost  disappears,  the  greater  part  of  the  trees  and  bushes 
shed  their  leaves  and  herbs  become  dry  and  brittle.  Only 


36 

along  the  rivers  is  some  freshness  observable.  Toward  the 
border  of  Nicaragua  cacti  appear,  mostly  species  of  Cereus, 
Opuntia,  Phypsalis  and  Mammilaria.  Professor  Pittier  also 
mentions  an  oak  forest  of  Quercus  citri folia  between  Liberia 
and  the  Rio  de  los  Ahogados,  at  a  height  of  about  one  hun- 
dred meters  above  the  sea.  The  peninsula  of  Nicoya  is  noted 
for  a  large  lumber  industry  among  its  different  cedars  (Cedw 
duke,  C.  amargo,  C.  real,  etc.),  mora  and  other  trees.  Towards 
the  upper  limits  of  the  Atlantic  tropical  forests,  below  the  oak 
region,  Chamcedorea,  Geonoma,  Bactris,  Euterpe  longe- 
petiolata  and  other  palms  of  the  same  groups,  as  well  as 
Gulielma  utilis  (the  pijivalle  palm)  and  Carludovica 
microphylla  are  seen  in  great  abundance,  mixed  with  tree 
ferns  like  Alsopkylla  pruinata,  Hemitelia  horrida,  Hemitclia 
grandifolia,  etc.  'Higher  up  appears  the  region  of  oaks,  prin- 
cipally Quercus  retusa,  Quercus  granulata,  Quercus  citrifolia 
and  Quercus  costaricensis,  with  Buddleia  alpina,  Rubus,  Lu- 
pinus,  etc.  Here  is  also  the  region  of  the  common  potato.. 
This  oak  region  slopes  gradually  down  from  east  to  west.  The 
vegetation  on  the  summits  of  the  high  mountains  of  Costa 
Rica  is  of  a  marked  subalpine  character,  having  a  great  num- 
ber of  northern  genera,  as  V actinium,  Pernettya,  Alchemitta, 
Cardamine,  Calceolaria,  Spircea,  etc. 

Certain  types  of  vegetation  are  often  more  due  to  the 
sterile  nature  of  the  soil  than  to  elevation. 

Although  a  northern  flora  is  frequent  on  the  high  ter- 
races of  San  Jose  -and  Cartago,  that  character  is  not  general 
because  of  the  introduction  of  cultivated  tropical  and  other 
plants  peculiar  to  Costa  Rica. 

On  the  southern  high  mountains  two  species  of  Podo- 
carpus  (P.  taxifolia  'and  P.  salicifolia),  one  of  Alnus  (Almts 
Mirbelii  Spach.)  and  one  of  Weinmannia  occur  quite  generally 
among  the  oak  forests.  Other  distinct  floral  groups  are  rep- 
resented by  /the  vegetation  along  roads  and  fences,  on 
potreros,  in  cultivated  regions  and  along  river  shores.  The 
latter  especially  are  rich  in  herbaceous  plants,  grasses,  bushes 
and  woods  of  Bignoniacecz,  Myrtacece,  Euphorbiacecz,  Mimoseru,. 
etc. 

The  potreros  are  characterized  by  Tagetes,  Sida,  Hyptis,. 


37 

Solarium,  Salvia,  Mimosa  pudica  and  M.  sensitiva,  etc. 
Along  fences  there  grow  nearly  everywhere  Erythrina  coral- 
lodendron,  Yucca  aloi  folia,  Bromelia  pin  gum.  Agave  ameri- 
cana,  Cereus,  Spondias,  Bursera,  Oestrum,  etc. 

Prominent  characteristic  plants,  besides  the  already  men- 
tioned species  and  genera,  are  the  Piperacece  and  Melas- 
tomacea;  further,  species  of  Iriartea,  Bactris  and  Raphia  of 
the  palm  order,  and  Alsophylla,  Schiz&a  occidentalis  and 
Pteris  aquilina  of  the  ferns;  still  further  Castilloa  costaricana, 
Gunnera  insignis,  Ochroma  lagopus,  Gliciridia,  Inga  edulis, 
Chusquea  maurofernandeziana,  Erylhrina  corallodendron, 
Drymis  W inter  ii  For  St.,  Acacia  Farnesiana,  etc. 

The  passage  from  one  flora  to  another  is  one  of  insensi- 
ble gradations.  Cultivated  lands,  as  already  stated,  do  not 
show  any  longer  the  original  vegetation. 

The  plants  which  are  n'ow  mostly  cultivated  are:  Coffea 
arabica  (coffee),  Saccharum  officinarum  (sugar  cane),  Zea 
mays  (corn),  Musa  paradisiaca  and  Musa  sapientium 
(bananas),  Phaseolus  (beans),  Oryza  sativa  (rice),  Solanum 
tuber osum  (potato),  Nicotiana  tabacum  (tobacco),  Batatas 
dulcis  (sweet  potato),  Lycopersicum  esculentum  and  Lyco- 
pcrsicum  Hnmboldtii  (tomatoes),  Capsicum  annuum  (chile), 
.Ananas  sativa  (pine-apple),  Carica  papaya  (papaya),  Per  sea 
gratissima  (aguacate),  Arwna  cherimolia  (cherimoya),  Mani- 
hot  oipi  and  Manihot  utilissima  (yucca  or  mandioca),  In- 
digo f  era  anil  (indigo),  Gossypium  barbadense  (cotton), 
C ichor ium  Intyous  (chicory),  Asparagus  oMcinalis  (aspar- 
agus), Psidium  guava  (guayaba),  Mammea  americana 
(mamey),  Theobroma  cacao  (cacao),  etc. 

Before  giving  the  lists  of  the  woods,  tannings,  dyeings, 
gums,  balsams,  resins,  rubber,  waxes,  textile  and  medicinal 
plants,  oils  and  oil  seeds,  etc.,  of  Costa  Rica,  it  is  advantageous 
to  research  to  name  those  collectors  and  scientists  who,  hav- 
ing traveled  through  Costa  Rica  or  established  themselves 
there,  have  especially  contributed  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
natural  resources  of  the  country.  They  are  Professor  H.  Pit- 
tier,  A.  S.  Oersted,  Dr.  C.  Hoffmann,  Dr.  H.  Polakowsky, 
Dr.  M.  Wagner,  Captain  J.  Donnel  Smith,  C.  Warszewicz, 
Neudland,  A.  Tonduz,  P.  Biolley,  Dr.  A.  von  Frantzius,  Dr. 


38 

Franc  Kuntze,  Professor  W.  M.  Gab'b,  Jose  C.  Zeledon, 
Anastasio  Alfaro,  Juan  J.  Cooper,  and  Bishop  Bernardo 
Augusto  Thiel,  D.  D. 

Native  Names  of  the  Woods  of  Costa  Rica. 


Acacia, 

Canela  or  Canelon, 

Cobola, 

Aceituno, 

Canjura, 

Cocobola, 

Aceituno  bianco, 

Cantarillo, 

Cocobola  nambar, 

Aguacate  bianco, 

Caobana, 

Cocora, 

Aguacatillo, 

Copalillo, 

Colloso, 

Aguilla, 
Algarroba, 

Capulin, 
Caragua, 

Comenegro  de  monte 
Conchudo, 

Almendro, 

Carao  macho, 

Copal, 

Alvahaquilla, 

Carao  silvestre, 

Copalchi, 

Amapola, 

Carboncillo, 

Copalite  verde, 

Amarillo, 

Carbon  fino, 

Copulchin, 

Anona  Colorado, 

Carne, 

Copulchin  bianco, 

Anonilla, 

Caroto, 

Coquito, 

Anono, 

Cas, 

Corazon, 

Arco, 

Cascarillo, 

Corazon  de  leon, 

Arbol  Colorado, 

Casco-cafe, 

Cordoncillo, 

Arbol  de  la  leche, 

Castafio, 

Carnezuelo, 

Aromo, 

Castor  cillo, 

Corteza, 

Array  an, 

Cedro  amargo, 

Corteza  amarilla, 

Asca, 

Cedro  bianco, 

Corteza  blanca, 

Avellano, 

Cedro  caoba  leon, 

Corteza  de  venado,. 

Ay  a, 

Cedro  cirrus, 

Corteza  negra, 

Ay  a  bianco, 

Cedro  claro, 

Cristal, 

Ay  a  Colorado, 

Cedro  cubano, 

Cristobal 

Azaharillo, 

Cedro  dulce, 

Cuajiniquil, 

Azulillo. 

Cedro  dulce  claro, 

Cuascua, 

Ralco 

Cedro  dulce-ondulado, 

Cucaracho, 

isaisa, 
Balsamito, 

Cedro  jaspeado, 
Cedro  macho, 

Culebra, 
Cura, 

Balsanio, 
Balsanio  negro, 
Barillo, 

Cedron, 
Cedro  naranjeiia, 
Cedro  ondulado, 

Curacha. 
Damas, 

Bateo, 
Berenjena, 
Brasil  moral, 

Cedro  pochote, 
Ceiba, 
Cerillo, 

Dantisco, 
Danto, 
Danto  amarillo, 

Brasil  negro, 

"D-ror/il 

Cerro, 

Danto  barcino, 

XJlclZll  j 

Brazil  de  clavo, 
Brazil  nacar, 

Chancho, 
Chaparro, 

/"M. 

Danto  bianco, 
Danto  hedliondo- 

Burio, 
Burillo. 

Cherre, 
Chaperno, 
Chaperno  amarillo, 

Encino  roble, 
Escoba, 

Cachimbo, 

Chaperno  bianco, 

Escobillo, 

Cacique, 

Chaperno  veteado, 

Escobo, 

Cacique  amarillo, 

Chavecho, 

Esparei, 

Cacique  pardo, 
Caimito, 

Chicha, 
Chilamate, 

Espavel, 
Espino  bianco. 

Camibar, 

Chile, 

Campana, 

Chilillo, 

Flor  blanca, 

Campanilla, 

Chirraca, 

Flor  de  aroma, 

Canafistola, 

Cirri, 

Frijolillo, 

Canasto, 

Clavellina, 

Fruta  de  pava, 

39 


Fubus, 
Furm, 
Fustete. 

Gavilan  Colorado, 

Gavilan, 

Gavilancillo, 

Gallinazo, 

Genizaro, 

Golondrino,. 

Guachazo  negro, 

Guachipilin, 

Guachipilin  claro, 

Guachipilin  oscuro, 

Guachi  raton, 

Guacimo, 

Guacimo  amarillo, 

Guaciino  bianco, 

Guacimo  macho, 

Guacimo  monillo, 

Guacimo  ternero, 

Guanacaste, 

Guapinol, 

Guapinol  tierno, 

Guatil  or  Jagua, 

Guavo, 

Guavo  silvestre, 

Guayabillo, 

Guayabito, 

Guayacan, 

Giiayacan  amarillo, 

Guayacan  de  costa, 

Guayacan  oscuro, 

Guayavo, 

Giiitite. 

Habilla, 

Hay  a, 

Higuera, 

Hormigo, 

Huesillo, 

Hule. 

Ira, 

Ira  amarillo, 
Ira  bianco, 
Ira  bofo, 
Ira  Colorado, 
Ira  mangle, 
Ira,  rosa. 

Jaboncillo, 

Jamaico, 

Jaul, 

Jicaro, 

Jinocuave, 

Jobo, 

Jorobado, 

Juaquiniquil. 


Lagartillo, 

Nambar  negro, 

Lagarto, 

Nance, 

Lagarto  amarillo, 

Nance  tricore, 

Lagarto  negro, 

Nancite, 

Landal, 

Nancite  Colorado, 

Lentisco, 
Lentisco  oscuro, 

Naranjillo, 
Naranjito, 

Laurel  barcino, 

Nispero  amarillo, 

Laurel  claro, 

Nispero  Colorado  , 

Laurel  espino, 

Nispero  espino, 

Laurel  negro, 

Nispero  negro. 

Laurel  oscuro, 

Laurel  pardo, 

Ocotillo, 

Laurel  veteado, 

Ojoche, 

Llema  de  huevo, 

Olmo. 

Lliguatil  , 

Lloro, 

Pacaya, 

Lloron, 

Pacaya  baton, 

Lloron  puire, 

Palanco  amarillo, 

Lope, 

Palanco  nudoso, 

Lorito. 

Palma, 

Palma  de  mano, 

Madera  de  hierro, 

Palma  real, 

Madera  negra, 

Palmiche, 

Maderon, 

Palo  azul, 

Madrono  blanca, 

Palo  de  sal, 

Madrono  corteza, 

Palo  frio, 

Madrono  de  comer, 

Palo  jabon, 

Makenge, 

Papaturro  bianco, 

Malacahuite, 

Papaturro  negro, 

Malacahuite  blanca, 

Papayo  almendro, 

Mangle, 

Papelillo, 

Mangle  morigiiite, 

Paraiso, 

Manglero, 

Pastora, 

Mango, 

Pava, 

Mano, 

Pava  macho, 

Manzana  rosa, 

Pavilla  veteado, 

Manzanillo, 

Peine  de  mico, 

Maranon, 
Maria, 

Pejivalle, 
Piedrilla, 

Mario, 

Pipa  or  Mora  bianco 

Mastate, 

Plomillo, 

Mastatillo, 

Pocara, 

Mayo, 

Pochote, 

Melon, 

Poro  cerrado, 

Molenillo, 

Poroporo, 

Mora  decipina, 

Pure. 

Moral  bianco, 

Moral  leonado, 

Quajiniquil, 

Moral  listado, 

Quiebracha  Colorado, 

Moral  negro, 

Quiebra  hacha, 

Morante, 

Quina, 

Mora  punteado, 

Quita  calzon, 

Morate, 

Quitirri, 

Mora  tinta, 

Quizarra  amarillo, 

Mufieco, 

Quizarra  baboso, 

Muneco  macho, 

Quizarra  bofo, 

Murta. 

Quizarracillo, 

Quizarra  clara, 

•Quizarra  barcii 

Sandalo, 

Uiscoyol  or  Viscoyol, 

Quizarra  ira, 

oangre  de  toro, 

Uruca  or  Teregre. 

Quizarra  negro, 

Sangre  de  drago, 

Quizarra  quina, 

San  Juan, 

Vara  blanca, 

Quizarra  zopilote. 

San  Juan  dulce, 

Viscoyol  (palm). 

San  Juanillo, 

Ramal, 

Sierrillo, 

Yabo, 

Raspaguacal, 

Siete  cueros, 

Yabo  bianco, 

Raton, 

Siete  cueros  machos, 

Yas, 

Raton  bianco, 

Simaruba, 

Yocote  iguana, 

Ratoncillo, 

Sirri, 

Yos. 

Resino, 

Siva, 

Roble, 

Sota  caballo. 

Zapote  mico, 

Roble  angular, 

Zapotillo, 

Roble  de  la  laguna, 

Tamarindo, 

Zapotillo  danto, 

Roble  de  sabana, 

Targua, 

Zenicero, 

Roble  encino, 

Ticuarri, 

Zenicero-ocre, 

Ronron, 

Tirra, 

Zorillo. 

Ronron  veteado. 

Torco, 

Tres  huevos, 

Sabirio, 

Tuiquisirrie. 

Native  Names  of  the  Medicinal  Plants 

of  Costa  Rica. 

Acedera, 

Cafia  gigantea, 

Guaco  redondo  (vine), 

Agra, 

Cana  agria, 

Guas  molenillo, 

Ajo, 

Cafia  fistula, 

Guanacaste, 

Alcornoque, 

Capitana, 

Guapinol, 

Albahaca, 

Capitaneja, 

Guayacan  amarillo, 

Alcotan, 

Carao, 

Guarumo, 

Algabia, 

Cardo  santo  amarillo, 

Guizaro. 

Algabia  or  Abelmoscus, 

Cardo  santo  bianco, 

Almendro  (Papayo  Col- 

Chamomila, 

Higuerilla, 

orado), 

Cola  de  alacran, 

Hanojo, 

Almendrillo  aromatico, 

Contrayerba, 

Hojasen, 

Alucema, 

Copal, 

Hombre  grande. 

Atnapola, 

Copalchi, 

Anisillo, 

Copalchi  guisarra, 

Inga  carao, 

Anona, 

Copey, 

Ipecacuanha. 

Anonillo, 

Cordoncillo, 

Apasote, 

Corneztielo, 

Jabillo, 

Apasote  de  mexico, 

Croton, 

Jabon  vegetal, 

Artemisa. 

Cucanillo, 

Jinote  terebinto, 

Culantrillo. 

Jobo  amarillo, 

Balsamito, 

Jiquaitil, 

Balsamo  copal, 

Doradilla. 

Juanilama. 

Balsamo  negro, 

Barbasco, 

Eneldo, 

Laurel  real, 

Barbas  ilote    (Cabello 

Escoba  blanca, 

Lechuguilla  or  Carraja, 

de  maiz), 

Escorzonera, 

Lengua  de  ciervo, 

Borraja. 

Esparto. 

Lengua  de  vaca, 

Liquidambar, 

Cacao  gigante, 

Fierrito, 

Llanten, 

Camibar, 

Frutas  de  cornezuela. 

Lombricero. 

Campanilla  blanca, 

Canchalagua, 

Guacamayo, 

Majaguilla, 

Canchillo, 

Guachara, 

Malva, 

Candelillo, 

Guacimo  negro, 

Manzanilla, 

Cauela, 

Guaco, 

Marango, 

Maranon, 

Matasano, 

Mejorana, 

Meloncillo, 

Michoacan, 

Mozote  de  caballo. 

Naranja, 
Naranja  agria, 
Nuez  moscada. 

Ojoche  macho, 
Ojoche  rojo, 
Oregomo, 
Orosus, 
Ortiga. 

Palo  leche, 
Paraiso, 
Petrona, 
Peine  de  mico, 
Pichichio  solano, 
Pie  de  venado, 
Platanillo, 
Pochoche  macho, 
Polipodio. 

•Quina, 


Quina  Colorado,  Tiguilote, 

Quassia  hombre  grande.    Tuete. 


Raiz  de  toro, 

Reina  de  la  noche, 

Romero, 

Ruda, 

Ruibarbo. 

Sacaguacal, 
Sacate  limon, 
Sagu, 
Sal  via, 
Samo, 

vSangre  de  drago  Colo- 
rado, 

Sangre  de  toro, 
Sarsaparilla, 
Sanco, 
Sensitiva, 
Simaba  cedron, 
Simaruba, 
Suelda  con  suelda. 

Tamarindo, 

Tapate, 

Tarsana, 


Una  de  gato. 

Valeriana, 

Vainilla, 

Velvet, 

Venado, 

Verbena, 

Vetiver, 

Viborana. 

Yerba  buena, 
Yerba  culebra, 
Yerba  mora, 
Yerba  te", 
Yerba  tora. 

Zacate  de  limon 

Zacate  de  olor, 

Zarza, 

Zarzon, 

Zenizero, 

Zarzaparilla, 

Zorrillo. 


Native  Names  of  Costa  Rican  Tanning  and  Dyeing 
Plants. 


Name. 

Commercial 
Part. 

Us< 

h 

Seed    .  .  . 

'Dyeing. 

Aguacate  
Anil  
Brazil  
Catazin  
Encino  bianco  .  . 
Encino  Colorado  . 
Gavilan  

Seed    .  .   .   . 
Extract.   .   . 
Wood.   .   .   . 
Wood.    .  .   . 
Bark   .   .   .   . 
Bark  .   .    .    . 
.    Bark   .   .    .   . 

Tanning. 
Dyeing. 

!  Tanning. 

Guanacaste  .  .  . 
Guanacaste  .  .  . 
Mangle  
Mora  
Nacascolo  .... 
Nancite  
Ojo  de  venado  .  . 
Ratoncillo  .... 
Sacatinta  .... 

.    Bark   .    .    .    . 
.    Fruit  .   .    .   . 
.    Bark   .   .    .   . 
.    Wood.    .   .    . 
.    Fruit  .   .   .   . 
Bark   .   .    .    . 
.    Seed    .  .    .    . 
Bark  .  .   .   . 
Plant  .    .    .   . 

Dyeing  and 

Dyeing. 
Dyeing  and 

Dyeing. 
Tanning. 
Dyeing. 

tanning, 
tanning. 

Sangre  de  drago  . 
Yuquilla  

-Sap  
.    Root    .   .    .    . 

« 

42 
Native  Names  cf  Costa  Rican  Gums,  Resins,  Rubber,  Etc. 


Name. 

Character.                         Name. 

Character. 

Acacia    

Gum. 

Gallinazo     

Gum. 

Arrayan    

Wax. 

Guapinol      

Resin. 

Aroma    

Gum. 

Hule    

Rubber. 

Balsamo  negro  

Balsam. 

Incienso    

Resin. 

Barillo   

Resin. 

Jinote     

Gum-resin. 

Copal,  fossil  amber  .    .    . 

Jocote    

Gum. 

Copal  

<» 

Jobo    

<> 

Camibar           

Balsam. 

Jenizaro    

Guni-resin. 

Carana  

Resin. 

Mangle  

Gum. 

Copaiba     

Balsam. 

Mastate     

Milk. 

Cedro  
Cera  vegetal   
Cerillo    
Chilamate    

Gum. 
Wax. 

Milk. 

Nispero     
Ojoche  Colorado    .   . 
Ojoche  macho    .   .   . 
Pochote     

Chewing  gum. 
Milk. 

Gum. 

Chirraca    

Balsam. 

Quiebracha     .... 

Kspino  bianco   
Guanac^ste     

Gum, 

Sangre  de  drago  .   . 
Tuno  macho  . 

Sap. 
Chewing  gum. 

Guayacan     

Resin.                         Palo  de  vaca   .   .   .   . 

Milk. 

Native  Names  of  Costa  Rican  Oilseeds* 

Almendro, 

Coco,                             Corozo, 

Algodon, 

Colza,                            Cacahuete, 

Ajonjoli, 

Coyol,                             Higuerilla, 

Biscoyol, 

Coquito,                        Lino. 

Native 

Names  of  Costa  Rican  Textile  Plants. 

Name. 

Product.                           Name. 

Product. 

Algodon    . 

Cotton.                        Limon  montes  .   .    .       Bast 

Balsa  . 

Silk-cotton.               Luffa  Fruit. 

Banana  

Leaves.                       Majagua   Bast. 

Barrigona     

Silk-cotton  and        Maguey  Leaves. 

bast. 

Burio  

Bast. 

Mastate  Bast. 

Cabuya  

Leaves. 

Palma    Leaves. 

Ceiba  

Silk-cotton. 

Peine  de  mico   .    .    .        Bast. 

Corteza  blanca  

Bast. 

Pie  de  vc  nado    .    .    .       Bast. 

Coco    

Fruit  fibre. 

Pina    .                               Leaves. 

Cucanilla  

Bast.                            Pinuela  Leaves. 

Guarumo  

Bast. 

Pochote        Bast  and  silk- 

cotton. 

Itavo  

Leaves.                      Pita     Leaves. 

Juco    

Bast. 

Ramio    !     Bast. 

Junco  ...          

Leaves.                       Soncollo        .       ...       Bast. 

IV. 


FAUNA. 

In  regard  to  the  fauna,  there  are  in  Costa  Rica  about  one 
hundred  and  twenty-one  species  of  mammalia,  of  which  ter> 
are  domesticated  and  four  of  Mus  introduced,  leaving  107  as 
indigenous  to  Oosta  Rica. 

There  are  only  a  few  species  peculiar  to  Costa  Rica,  and 
also  but  a  small  number  peculiar  to  Central  America,  among 
which  are  the  Tapirus  dowi  alston  and  three  species  of 
monkeys.  About  one-fifth  of  the  total  number  also  belong  to 
South  America  and  one-seventh  to  North  America.  The  rest 
are  found  as  well  in  North  as  in  South  America.  With  re- 
spect to  the  avifauna,  there  are  725  known  species.  This 
great  variety  of  the  avifauna  is  due  to  especial  climatic  con- 
ditions, to  the  very  rich  flora,  to  the  geographical  position  be- 
tween two  oceans  and  to  the  vicinity  of  so  many  islands  of 
the  Caribbean  Sea. 

It  is  composed  of  67  Neoarctic  species,  which  are  also 
found  in  the  north  of  Mexico;  of  247  Neotropical  or  South 
American  species,  of  260  autocthonous  or  exclusively  Central 
American  species,  and  128  newly  described  species  which  live 
as  well  in  the  northern  as  in  the  southern  continent.  The  rest, 
comprising  23  species,  have  a  doubtful  origin.  The  best  sing- 
ing birds  are  the  Gilguero,  Yigiierro,  Toledo,  Mozotillo, 
Cacique,  Mongita,  Comemaiz,  Setillero  and  Agiiillo. 

There  are  over  130  species  of  Reptilia  and  Batrachia  in 
Costa  Rica.  Those  known  and  described  are  36  Batrachia, 
28  Lacertilia,  60  Ophidia  and  6  Testudinata.  Poisonous 
snakes  are  the  Toboba,  Bocaraca,  Oropel,  Terciopelo  and 
Cascabel. 

(43) 


44 

Costa  Rica  is  also  very  rich  in  Fishes.  Those  in  the 
Pacific  are  almost  entirely  different  from  those  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean.  Also  its  tributary  waters  have  more  varied  species 
than  those  of  the  Atlantic  slope. 

In  correspondence  with  the  varied  topographical,  climat- 
ologieal,  and  'botanical  conditions  of  Costa  Rica  is  also  the 
invertebrate  fauna.  And  here  the  National  Museum,  under 
Mr.  Anastasio  Alfaro,  and  the  "Instituto  fisico  geografico 
Nacional,"  under  Professor  H.  Pittier,  are  doing  equally  ex- 
cellent work  in  bringing  them  to  our  knowledge,  as  they  have 
done  like  service  in  other  branches  of  Natural  History. 

The  most  interesting  species  of  the  fauna  in  Costa  Rica 
among  the  mammalia  are  the  monkeys  (Mycetes  palliatus, 
Ateles  geoffroyi,  and  Ccbus  hypoleucus),  the  tigre  (Fclis 
onca),  marrigordo  (Fells  pardalis),  puma  (Fells  concolor), 
the  coyote  (Canis  latrans),  tigrillo  (Urocyon  cinereo),  pisote 
(Nasua  narica),  martilla  (Cercoleptes  caudivolvulus),  coma- 
dreja  (Mustek,  brasiliensis),  ohulomuco  or  tolumuco  (Galictis 
barbara),  Zorro  hediondo  (Conepatus  mapurito),  nutria  or 
perro  de  agua  (Lutra  felina),  manati  or  vaca  marina  (Trichc- 
ehus  australis),  danta  (Elasmognathus  bairdii  and  E.  Dowi), 
salimo  (Dicotyles  tajacu)  cari  bianco  (Dicotyles  labiatus), 
venado  (Dorcelophus  clavatus),  cabro  de  monte  (Mazania 
temama),  ardillas  (Sciurus  hypopyrrhus,  Sc.  cesiuans  hoff- 
manni,  Sc.  Alfari),  puerco  espino  (Synetheres  mexicanus), 
guatusa  (Dasyprocta  isthmica,  D.  pnnctata),  tepeizcuintle 
(Coelogenys  paca),  conejo  (Lepus  graysoni,  L.  gabbi),  perico 
ligero  (Bradypns  castanciceps),  perezoso  (Cholocpus  hoff- 
manni),  armado  de  zopilote  (Dasypus  gymmirus),  arma- 
dillo (Tatusia  novemcincta ) ,  oso  hormiguero  (Myrmecophaga 
jubata),  oso  colmeno  or  tejon  (Myrmecophaga  tctradactyla), 
serafin  de  platanar  (Cyclothorus  didactylus),'  zorro  pelon 
(Didelphis  marsupialis  aurita),  zorro  isi  (Marmosa  cincrca) 
and  zorrito  de  platanar  (Marmosa  murina). 

Among  the  birds  the  following  may  be  mentioned,  fol- 
lowing the  enumeration  of  Jose  C.  Zeledon:  The  sensontle 
(Mimus  gilous),  the  jilguero  (Melanops),  the  yigiierro  (Tur- 
dus  grayi),  the  picudos  (Careba  cyanca  and  C.  lucida),  the 
rualdo  (Chlorophonia  callophrys),  the  caciquita  (Euphonia 


45 

clcgantissima),  the  monjita  fina  (Euphonia  affinis),  and  other 
species  of  Euphonia:  further  pipra  mentalis,  la  viuda  (Tan- 
iigra  cana),  el  cardenal  (Pyranga  leucoptera  and  P.  rubra), 
cyanospiza,  sps.,  alcalde  mayor  (Rhamphococlus)  the  oropen- 
dula  (Ocyalus  waglieri  and  0.  montezumce),  the  choltote  or 
trupial  (Icterus  pcctoralis  and  /.  giraudi),  the  raj  on  (Cotinga 
amabilis),  colibris  or  gorriones  (Trochilida),  the  quetzal 
(Pharomacrus  costariccnsis),  resplandor  (Muscivora  mexi- 
caua),  the  curre  (Ramphastus  carinatiis),  the  quioro  (R. 
tocard),  the  curre  verde  (Aulacorhamphus  cceruleigularis), 
carpintero  (Campcphilits  gnatemalensis  and  Centurus  hoff- 
inanni),  die  lapas  rojas  and  lapas  verdes  (Ara  militaris  and 
Chryosotis  diademata,  C.  guatemalce  and  C.  auripalliata) ,  the 
periquitos  (Comtrus  pctzii  and  Brotogerys  tovi). 

Further  men>tion  is  made  of  the  aguila  (Trascetus  harp- 
yia),  camaleon  (Falco  sparverius),  cargla-hueso  (Polyborus 
cJici'iway),  the  rey  de  zopilote  (Gyparchus  papa),  the  zopilote 
(Catharista  atrata)  and  the  zonchiche  (Cathartes  aura).  To 
these  may  be  added  the  tortolita  (Columbigallina  passerina), 
the  pa  von  (Crax  globicera),  the  pava  (Penelope  cristata),  pava 
negra  (Chamapetcs  unicolor),  the  codorniz  (Orty.r  leylaudi) 
and  chirraxua  (Denitortyx  Icucophrys) ;  still  turther,  the  mar- 
tin pena  (Ardca  virescens)  and  other  garza  (Tigrisoma 
cabanisi,  Nycticorax  americamis,  Gallina  aquatica,  Eurypyga 
major),  zarzetas  (Numenius  and  Totanus);  also  the  pijijes 
(Totanus  flavipcs  and  Charadrius  vocifcrus),  the  patillo  (Co- 
lymbus  dominicus),  the  piche  (Dendrocigna  autumnalis),  peli- 
canos  and  alcatraz  (Pelecaniis),  etc. 

We  have  further  to  mention  the  great  turtles  from  both 
oceans,  the  (Nacar  de  perlas)  or  pearl  shells  from  Golfos 
Duke  and  Nicoya,  the  oysters  from  Puntarenas,  the  purple 
snail  (Murex)y  also  sponges,  -corals,  etc 


V. 


THE  ABORIGINAL    INHABITANTS. 


Colonel  George  Earl  Church  says  in  regard  to  the  In- 
dians: "There  are  many  indications  that  Costa  Rica  was  once 
the  debatable  ground  between  the  powerful  Mexican  invader 
and  the  warlike  Caribs  of  northern  South  America." 

"The  Caribs  were  a  tall,  muscular,  copper  colored  race 
who,  when  the  New  World  was  discovered,  occupied  the 
coast  from  the  mouth  of  the  River  Orinoco  to  that  of  the 
River  Amazon,  and  stretched  inland  over  all  the  half-drowned 
districts  and  far  up  the  valley  of  the  Orinoco.  Their  nomadic 
spirit  led  them  to  the  conquest  of  many  of  the  Windward 
Islands,  and,  I  am  disposed  to  believe,  urged  them  to  invade 
all  the  countries  bordering  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  Gulf  of 
Mexico  having  estuaries  and  rivers  which  could  be  pene- 
trated by  their  war  canoes.  These  carried  from  twenty-five 
to  one  hundred  men  each  and  were  of  sufficient  size  to  make 
long  voyages." 

Along  all  the  Caribbean  coast  districts  of  Yucatan,  Hon- 
duras, Nicaragua,  Costa  Rica  and  Chiriqui,  and  throughout 
the  province  of  Panama,  the  Carib  has  left  traces  of  his  pres- 
ence. 

It  is  evident  that  an  offshoot  of  the  highland  Mexican 
race  pressed  south  and  east  from  Chiapas,  Mexico,  into  and 
through  the  long  strip  of  the  Pacific  coast  occupied  by  the 
Chorotegas  or  Mangues,  followed  the  Pacific  slope  of  the 
Cordilleras  and  the  narrow  space  between  Lake  Nicaragua 
and  the  Ocean,  penetrated  into  northwestern  Costa  Rica, 
settled  and  helped  the  Mangues  to  develop  a  considerable 
civilization  in  the  district  of  Guanacaste  and  Nicoya,  and  in 

(46) 


SITY 


47 

part  subdued  all  the  volcanic  region  lying  north  and  west  of 
the  valley  of  the  River  Reventazon. 

It  is  notable  that  inhabitants  of  volcanic  countries  crowd 
around  the  slopes  of  its  volcanoes,  due  probably  to  the  fertil- 
izing quality  of  the  ejected  ash. 

The  Mexicans  have  left  abundant  traces  of  their  lan- 
guage in  Costa  Rica,  especially  throughout  its  northern  half. 
Many  of  their  words  are  now  in  common  use  and  incor- 
porated into  the  Spanish  spoken  there.  Notably  such  words 
occur  in  the  names  of  plants,  animals  and  geographical  local- 
ities. 

In  1569  the  Adelantado  Perafan  de  Rivera  made  an 
elaborate  detailed  enumeration  of  the  Indians  and  found  their 
total  number  to  be  25,000. 

Mr.  M.  de  Peralta  says  the  Xahuas  (Aztecs)  and 
Mangues  (Chorotegas),  Giietares,  Yiceitas,  Terrabas,  Chan- 
guenes,  Guaymies,  Quepos,  Cotos  and  Borucas  were  the  prin- 
cipal people  who  occupied  the  territory  of  Costa  Rica  at  the 
time  of  the  conquest.  The  Nahuas  came  from  the  north,  and 
if  the  Mangues  did  not  go  from  Chiapas,  it  is  necessary  to 
infer  that  from  the  Gulf  of  Nicoya  and  the  shores  of  the  lakes 
of  Nicaragua  and  Managua  they  extended  to  the  south  of 
Mexico,  where,  up  to  a  few  years  ago,  their  language  was 
spoken  ait  Acala. 

The  Mangues,  or  Chorotegas,  at  the  time  of  the  Mexican 
invasion,  occupied  the  peninsula  of  Nicoya  and  all  the  lands 
surrounding  the  gulf  of  that  name.  They  were  then,  no 
doubt,  the  most  powerful  and  advanced  people  in  Costa  Rica, 
and  carried  some  of  their  arts,  such  as  pottery,  sculpture, 
weaving,  and  tilling  the  ground,  to  greater  perfection  than  any 
people  occupying  the  region  between  their  territory  and  that 
of  the  Chibcias  on  the  table-land  of  Colombia.  In  their  graves 
are  found  gold  ornaments  and  specimens  of  the  ceramic  art 
showing  taste  in  design  superior  to  any  that  the  present  civ- 
ilized Costa  Rican  Indian  can  manufacture.  These  graves 
also  contain  beautiful  specimens  of  obsidian,  greenstone  and 
even  finely  wrought  jade  tools  and  jade  ornaments,  knives, 
axes,  arrowheads,  amulets,  rings  and  a  multitude  of  stone 
idols,  seats,  etc.  The  Mangues  appear  to  have  manufactured 
gold  extensively  into  jewelry. 


48 

The  Giietares  made  their  homes  on  the  slopes  of  the 
Turialba,,  Irazu  and  Barba  to  the  southeast  of  the  Mexicans 
and  Chorotegas,  and,  in  a  less  degree,  they  shared  in  the  skill 
and  advancement  of  the  latter,  but  their  pottery  was  inferior 
in  artistic  method  and  quality  of  material  and  workmanship, 
judging  from  collections  in  the  National  Museum  of  Costa 
Rica. 

Peralta  says,  "The  Nahuas  and  Mangues  of  the  regions 
of  Nicoya  have  completely  disappeared,  although  the  first  still 
survive  in  Mexico,  and  the  latter  are  represented  here  and 
there  bv  a  descendant  in  Masava  (Nicaragua)  and  in  Acaia 
(Chiapas)."  The  Nahuas  (Aztecs)  left  notable  monuments  of 
their  material  civilization  and  of  their  scientific  attainments, 
and  a  language  that  served  as  the  instrument  of  a  cultivated 
and  thoughtful  race. 

During  the  colonial  period  the  Spaniards,  in  several  ef- 
forts to  explore  the  River  Frio,  were  driven  back  by  the 
Guatuso  Indians,  who  still  occupy  the  greater  part  of  its  valley 
and  the  slopes  of  the  volcanic  mountains.  It  was  not  until 
1856  that  a  small  expedition  penetrated  across  the  country 
to  the  Rio  Frio  from  the  mouth  of  the  River  Arenal,  a  branch 
of  the  San  Carlos.  They  reported  fertile,  hilly  slopes  in  its 
upper  reaches,  and  beautiful  plains  for-  most  of  the  dis- 
tance traversed  to  its  mouth. 

The  rubber  collectors  of  Nicaragua  for  many  years  have 
ascended  the  Rio  Frio  and  otner  rivers  in  canoes  and  plun- 
dered the  settlements,  plantations  and  property  of  the  Indians,, 
forcing  them  to  retire  further  up  the  river.  The  Guatusos 
live  in  palenques  (stockades),  and  their  houses  are  similar  to 
the  maloccas  among  Amazon  tribes.  Each  palenque  shelters 
several  families,  who  cook  their  food  at  separate  fires  built  on 
the  ground.  They  live  principally  on  plantains,  yucca,  maize,, 
sugar  cane,  cacao,  game  and  fish,  the  latter  being  abundant 
in  the  Rio  Frio.  They  also  cultivate  and  smoke  tobacco. 

Their  weapons  are  bows,  arrows,  stone  axes,  and 
wooden  knives.  They  drink  chicha,  made  by  fermenting 
roasted  green  plantains,  and  also  chicha  mascada  de  maiz.  As 
the  bishop  of  Costa  Rica,  Dr.  Bernardo  A.  Thiel,  a  very 
noted  ethnologist  and  archaeologist,  says: 


49 

"The  Guatuso  country  is  probably  one  of  the  most  de- 
lightful portions  of  Costa  Rica.  Every  tropical  product  can 
be  grown  there  in  abundance,  for  the  lands  are  immeasurably 
rich  and  the  'climate  one  of  the  best  in  the  tropical  belt." 

The  last  census  of  the  Guatuso  Indians  is  as  follows: 


Palenques. 

Men. 

Women. 

Children. 

Total. 

Graves. 

On  th<-  ;/.-'/•/•  Tojifo:            > 
Tojifo     
Margarita    
Pedro  Joaquin  
Sahara 

26 
24 

IS 
9, 

12 

13 
ii 

'9 
i? 
13 

7 

47 
54 
39 
20 

25 

60 

101 

iH 

Culolo 

g 

4 

21 

Napoleon         .   .   . 

s 

5 

3 

16 

3§ 

On  the  rii'er  Cncuracha:\ 
Juana     

g 

5 

4 

17 

1 
26 

On  the  river  La  Mucrte: 
Congo    
I<a  Muerte   

10 

8 

3 
3 

> 
i 

16 

12 

9 

On  the  river  Pataste: 
San  Juan  ' 

5 

I 

8 

Grecia    

ii 

4 

2 

17 

'      - 

Total  . 

U2 

70 

64 

266 

MB 

Of  the  Talamanca  Indians,  Professor  H.  Pittier  distin- 
guishes two  tribes,  the  Brilio  and  Cabecar.  The  first  live  in 
the  valleys  and  mountains  of  Uren  and  Arari  and  along  the 
lower  course  of  the  Coen  River,  while  the  Cabecars  dwell  in 
the  upper  parts  of  the  Goen.  Other  Indians,  probably  of  the 
Tiribi  tribe,  live  in  the  upper  part  of  the  Teliri  valley. 

The  Talamanca  Indians  have  a  higher  grade  of  civiliza- 
tion than  the  neighboring  Boruca  or  Brunca  and  Terraba  In- 
dians. 

The  Bribris  have  good  traditions  and  numerous  legends 
of  their  past. 

The  census  of  the  Talamanca  Indians  is  as  follows: 


Male. 

Female. 

Total. 

Married. 

Lari       

263 

260 

S32 

Coen                                        .       .   . 

172 

176 

1l8 

67 

71 

••a 

Ur^n                          

424 

•2Q-1 

8l7 

Total  

926 

909 

1835 

F9 

50 

The  Terrabas  and  Bruncas  or  Boruca  Indians  are  located 
on  the  Pacific  slope  of  the  Talamanca  mountains,  and 
especially  in  the  great  valley  of  the  Diquis  or  Rio  Grande  do 
Terraba,  although  there  are  also  a  few  Indian  palenques  in 
the  neighborhood  of  the  Chirripo.  The  Borucas  or  Bruncas 
are  dolichocephalic.  The  men  are  large,  the  women  short  and 
plump.  They  are  more  intelligent  and  active  than  the  Tishbi  of 
Terraba.  Professor  Pittier  counted  in  the  Boruca  valley  and 
at  Palma,  Punta  Mala  and  La  Uvita  65  to  75  ranches  scat- 
tered around,  with  about  389  inhabitants,  while  he  found  50 
to  60  ranchos  with  about  250  inhabitants  in  the  town  of  Ter- 
raba and  25  to  30  ranchos  with  about  300  inhabitants  in  the 
town  of  Buenos  Aires.  There  are  also  some  Indians  near  the 
Golfo  Dulce. 

Taken  in  all,  about  4000  uncivilized  Indians  are  estimated 
to  remain  in  Costa  Rica. 


VI. 


POPULATION. 


The  population  of  Costa  Rica  is  nearly  all  white  and 
mostly  descendants  of  Spaniards  from  Galicia.  The  Indians 
are  not  numerous  and  are  completely  distinct  from  the  civ- 
ilized race.  The  Negroes  and  mixed  breeds  live  almost  ex- 
clusively on  the  coastlands. 

The  Costa  Ricans  are  a  well  formed,  robust  and  healthy 
people  with  regular  features.  The  women  are  gracious,  have 
splendid  eyes  and  abundance  of  hair,  and  appear  affable  in 
manner.  The  men  are  intelligent,  industrious,  economical, 
honest  and  peaceable,  as  well  as  polite,  truthful  and  generous. 
They  respect  order  and  property,  love  to  work,  and  are  proud 
of  their  wealth  and  of  the  independence  of  their  nation. 

Every  Costa  Rican  owns  property  of  some  kind.  The 
better  class  of  women  follow  in  their  dress  the  fashions  of 
Europe;  the  lower  classes  have  gowns  of  muslin  or  calico, 
and  wear  petticoats,  rebozos  and  very  often  panama  hats. 
Some  adorn  themselves  with  earrings  and  other  jewelry  and 
some  wear  shoes. 

The  men  dress  in  European  style.  The  lower  class, 
consisting  of  hard-working  farmers,  owners  of  small  coffee- 
plantations  and  ox-carts  and  oxen  for  internal  traffic,  wear 
coarse  cloth  coats,  drill  or  cotton  trousers,  and  straw  or  felt 
hats.  Most  of  these  people  go  barefooted. 

The  houses  of  the  wealthy  have  all  modern  conveniences. 
Those  of  the  poorer  classes  are  nearly  comfortless.  They  are 
mostly  low  and  built  of  adobes,  with  a  roof  of  tiles,  and  are 
arranged  in  regular  streets  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles. 
The  public  buildings  are  spacious  and  ornamental. 

(50 


52 

Among  the  principal  buildings  in  San  Jose  are  the  New 
National  Theatre,  in  which  about  1,000,000  pesos  were 
invested;  the  National  Palace;  the  Palace  of  Justice;  the 
Executive  Mansion;  the  Episcopal  Palace;  the  National  Dis- 
tillery; the  Market;  the  University;  the  High  School  for 
Young  Ladies;  the  High  School  for  Young  Men;  the  Cus- 
tom House;  the  Mint,  etc. 

The  city  possesses  charitable  institutions,  such  as  hos- 
pitals, orphan  asylums,  insane  asylums,  etc.,  all  under  the 
management  of  corporations  and  associations  constantly 
laboring  for  their  improvement.  The  cemeteries  are  under 
the  supervision  of  charitable  associations.  There  are  several 
parks,  a  Museum,  a  Public  Library  and  scientific,  legal, 
medical,  literary  and  musical  societies,  an  International  Club 
and  a  German  Club,  etc. 

The  streets  are  mostly  macadamized  or  paved  with  stones 
and  lighted  by  electricity.  Nearly  every  city  is  well-supplied 
with  water  conducted  through  pipes. 

The  food  of  the  poor  comprises  meat,  beans,  corn,  rice, 
tortillas  and  plantains. 

Saturday  is  the  especial  market  day  of  the  cities,  and 
from  sunrise  till  noon  the  market-places  are  crowded  with 
sellers  and  buyers  Here  can  be  found  all  kind  of  vegetables 
and  fruits,  potatoes,  corn,  beans,  coffee,  tobacco,  sugar, 
cheese,  meat  and  other  food,  besides  earthenware,  hammocks, 
hats,  rebozos,  charcoal,  etc. 

The  population  of  Costa  Rica  in  1897  was  calculated  to 
be  288,769,  as  follows: 

90,940  inhabitants  in  the  Province  of  San  Jose\ 


67,972 
45,i6i 
37,603 
23,769 
8,925 
M.399 


Alajuela. 
Cartago. 
Heredia. 
Guanacaste. 


Comarca  de  Limon. 


Puntarenas. 


The  last  census,  that  of  1892,  gave  243,205  as  the  entire 
population  of  the  Republic. 


53 

The  following  table  shows  the  population  of  the  different 
"cantones"  in  1892  and  1897: 


Province  of  San  Jose, 


Canton. 

1892. 

1897. 

San  Jos£  
Escazu 

39,"2 

46,410 

Desam  parados  .... 
Puriscal  
Aserri  
Mora 

6,471 
6,845 
6,030 

c  814 

7'/3j 
7,6i6 
8,092 
7,140 

Tamazu  
Goicoechea  

2,583 
3,341 

3,070 
3,975 

Total  

76,718 

90,940 

Province  of  AJajuela. 


Canton. 

,8,, 

1897- 

Alajuela    
San  Ramon  
Grecia    
Atenas  

19,300 
9,928 

8,797 
6,208 

22,967 
11,781 
10,472 
7  373 

San  Mateo 

•3    •JCT 

-i  Q86 

Naranjo 

6  8^47 

Palmares     

2  77O 

o,uy^ 
•j  206 

6,^90 

Total  ....... 

57,203 

67,967 

Province  of  Cartago. 


Canton. 

1892. 

1897- 

Cartago  . 

2c  808 

Paraisp  
I/a  Union 

7,8l9 
4  2^6 

9,282 

Total  

37,973 

45,i6i 

Province  of  Heredia* 


Canton. 

1892. 

'897. 

Heredia 

16480 

10  6^s 

Barba  

2.064 

3,522 

Santo  Domingo     .   .   . 
Santa  Barbara   .... 
San  Rafael  

5,"8 
2,845 
4,204 

6,069 
3-379 
4,998 

Total  

31,611 

37,603 

Province  of  Gtianacaste. 


Canton. 

1892. 

1897. 

Liberia  

5,883 

7*021 

Canas 

2  165 

2,570 

Bagaces  

1,476 

1,749 

Santa  Cruz  
Nicoya  

5,948 

4,577 

7,021 
5,438 

Total  

20,049 

23,799 

Comarca  de  Limon. 


Canton. 


Limon 


1892. 


7,484 


1897. 


8,925 


Gomarca  de  Puntarenas. 
Canton. 


Puntarenas 
IJsparta 


Total 


1892. 


8,869 
3,298 


12,167 


1897. 


10,472 
3.927 


14,399 


The  following  table  shows  the  constant  natural  increase 
of  the  population,  beginning  with  the  year  of  1868: 


1868  

.  13',  510 

1878  .  . 

163,633 

1888  .  . 

216  65 

1869  

.  134,416 

1879  .  . 

.  .  .      167  248 

1889 

1870  

•  I37,387 

1880 

1800 

71  

.  140,423 

1881  .  . 

.  .        174  720 

1801 

72  

•  !43,525 

1882  . 

178,581 

1802  . 

248  *oo 

73  

.  146,696 

1883 

74  

.  149,937 

1884  .  . 

188,895 

1894  .  .  . 

.  -  .  ^57*155 
266,122 

75  

•  T  53  .250 

195,483 

76   

.  156,636 

1886 

2O2  2Q7 

1806 

77  

.  160,097 

1887  . 

200,357 

I807   .   . 

.  288.  70Q 

54 
The  population  of  Costa  Rica  prior  to  1868  was  as  fol- 


lows: 


1864 120,499 

1844 79,982 

1835  74,565 

1826 61,846 

1778 24,536 


Costa  Rica  being  a  country  of  immense  resources,  with 
great  opportunities  for  success  in  industrial,  agricultural  and 
commercial  enterprises,  it  may  be  interesting  to  know  its 
smaller  subdivisions,  called  barrios  or  districts,  as  presented 
in  ^the  following  table,  taken  from  the  latest  census,  that  of 
1892: 

Province  of  San  Jose. 

Canton  de  San  Jose. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

C 

S 

Barr 

iudad         f    Distrito  del  Carmen  .   .   . 
or           .  J                    La  Merced     .   .   . 
pital  de      j           "       Catedral  
n  Jose\       t           "       Hospital  . 

i,94i  1 

M**> 

2.853J 
1.273 
1,061 
957 
485 
Q74 
797 
1,428 
286 
675 
187 
456 
194 
36i 
470 

2,243"! 

S5»|«M* 

3,i79J 
1,418 
1,236 
973 
5C9 
997 
867 
1,416 
276 
737 

486 
180 
434 
484 

19,326 

2,691 
2,297 
i,93o 
994 
1,971 
1,664 
2,844 
562 
1,412 
356 
942 
374 
795 
954 

o  de  San  Pedro  
de  San  Juan    
de  Curridabat     

de  Zapote        
de  San  Isidro  
de  San  Vicente 

de  Alajuelita  

de  San  Francisco  
de  Uurca  

de  San  Jeronimo      .                    ... 

de  Mata  Redonda     
de  Hortillo  
de  San  Sebastian  
de  Las  Pavas  

Total  

18.869 

20,243 

39,  "2 

Canton  de  Escazti. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  deKscasti  (Centre)  .   .    .   . 

44C 

521 

961 

Barrio  de  San  Antonio 

741 

757 

1,498 

"     de  San  Rafael     

835 

870 

1,705 

"     de  Santa  Ana 

76l 

699 

1,460 

"     de  Salitral    

475 

423 

898 

Total  

3.252 

3,270 

6  522 

55 
Canton  de  Desamparados. 


Barrio  de  San  Juan  de  Dios 

'  de  San  Miguel 

"  de  San  Cristobal 

'  de  San  Rafael 

'  de  Rosario    .   , 

'  de  Patarra    .    . 

"  de  Los  Frailes 

"  de  San  Antonio 


Total 


rrios,  etc.                                           Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

>s  (Centro)     556 
:  Dios    486 
479 

651 
512 
515 

1,207 
998 
994 

al    191 

3*4 
226 

238 
39' 

2CS 

429 
775 
431 

22S 

209 

434 

186 

215 

401 

O-ss 

4'7 

802 

3,118 

3,353        1 

6,471 

Canton  de  Goicoechca. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Malfs.         Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Guadalupe  (Centro)                .   . 

667     •           702 

1,369 

Barrio  de  San  Francisco  
"  de  Ipsis  y  Purral 

....                161                  182 
.   .   .                   260                  298 

343 

"  de  Blancos  y  San  Gabriel  .  .  .  . 
"  del  Charco  y  Rancho  Redondo  .  . 
"  de  Mata  de  Platano  

,          277                  303 
146                  117 
103                  125 

263 

228 

Total  .   .    . 


1,614 


1.727 


3.341 


Canton  de  Puriscal. 


Barrios,  etc. 


Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Villa  del  Puriscal  (Centro) 

597 

604 

I,2OI 

Barrio  de  San  Rafael     .   .           .          

...               398 

373 

771 

"     de  San  Pablo 

371 

319 

690 

"     de  Barbacoas  

...  1-           245 
234 

!           224 
257 

469 
49! 

"     de  San  Antonio     

...               259 
234 

299 

211 

598 

445 

"     de  Grifo  Alto      .              

216 

212 

428 

"     de  Grifo  Bajo 

176 

183 

359 

"     de  Mercedes    
"     de  Candelarita 

.  .  .  .       358 

.  .  1        366 

316 

353 

674 
719 

Total  

.    •    •    •  '•        3.494 

3.351        1 

6,845 

Canton  de  Aserri. 


Barrios,  etc. 


Males.         Females.         Total. 


Villa  de  Aserri  (Centro)                                                             587                  652 

1,239 

Barrio  de  Monte  Redondo  265                  258 
"     de  Pirris                                          ...                 49                   52 

523 

101 

"    de  San  Igiiacio  i          428                  399 

827 

"     de  I  a  Legua                                       189                  132 

321 

'     de  Sabanillas  320                  270 

S90 

'     de  Cangrejal              .                 .   .          ....            176                  170 

346 

'     de  Tarbaca                                                                       195                  171 

366 

•     de  Cacao    198                  199 
4     de  La  Ceiba                                                                       97                   78 

397 
175 

'     de  Ococa          105                  90 

195 

'    de  Poas                                                                              124                  125 

249 

"     de  Guaitil                                                                         251                  223 

474 

"     de  Palmichal                                                                   114                  113 

227 

Total 


3,098 


2,932  6,030 


56 

Canton  de  Mora. 

Barrios,  etc 

Males. 

,  Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Pacaca  (Centro) 

4  56 

801 

Barrio  de  I,os  Altos  y  Tienfres 

369 

"     de  Jateo  .  .       .   . 

166 

164 

'     deBrasil    
"     de  Guajabo  y  Jaris 

•  •  •      138 

416 

140 

278 
868 

"    de  Rodeo 

1  06 

'     de  Morado    

I 

578 

1    de  Tabarcia  
'     de  Picagres  

26? 

238 

499 
^88 

'    de  Piedra  Blanca  .    .    . 

2?6 

2OI 

407 

'     de  Piedras  Negras 

188 

-80 

768 

Total  

•   i       2,905 

i          2,909 

5,8i4 

Canton  de  Tarrazti. 

Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  San  Marcos  (Centro) 

i          378 

8is 

Barrio  de  San  Pablo  

.   .                               '          241 

230 

"     de  San  Andre's    . 

"    del  General  
"    de  Santa  Maria  .... 

149 
432 

135 

377 

284 
8c9 

TcAa!  

1,370 

1,213 

2,583 

Province  of  Alajuela* 
Canton  de  Alajuela. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Ciudad  de  Alajuela  (Centro)     
Barrio  de  San  Pedro 

1,75° 
7Q7 

2,078 
794 

3,828 
.591 

"    de  San  Rafael.  .   
"     de  San  Tos£            .  . 

:::;::     & 

741 

$ 

365 

"     de  Santiago  Este  
"      "         "           Oeste 

528 
483 

S> 

5°7 

990 

"     de  Concepcion    
"     de  Sabanilla 

755 

734 

784 
722 

"     de  San  Antonio  
"     de  Turrticares 

681 

420 

720 
388 

.401 
808 

'     de  Desamparados     
"    de  Tuetal  . 

436 

249 

455 
261 

891 
510 

"     de  Garita  ,   

249 

254 

503 

"     de  San  Isidro  . 

33° 

333 

663 

"     de  Itiquis  .   
"     de  Sarapiqui 

279 
106 

290 
61 

569 

167 

"     de  Carrillos  

196 

218 

414 

Total  \   . 

!    9.366 

9.934 

19,300 

Canton 

de  Palmares. 

Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Palmares  (Centro)    
Barrio  de  Hsquipulas    

324 
280 

271 

4*7 
266 
294 

74' 
546 
«;6s 

"    de  Zaragoza        .          

289 

273 

562 

"    de  I«a  Granja 

190 

166 

356 

£ 

Total  . 

.    .           1,354 

1,416 

2,770 

57 
Canton  de  San  Ramon. 


Canton  de  Grecia. 


Barrios,  etc. 

i     Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  San  Ramon  (Centre)    

QI2 

i  080 

Barrio  de  Santiago  Norte 

26l 

"         "           Sur    

621 

& 

O^u 

de  Concepcion 

28l 

268 

de  Piedades  Norte    .   .    . 
Sur    ... 

....                 502 

if* 

3 

1  080 

de  San  Juan    

72Q 

1  462 

de  San  Isidro      .   .          ... 

•14.6 

1    de  San  Rafael 

-> 

'    de  1/os  Angeles  

•  •  •  •           MS 

112 

78 

Total        

....       4.903 

5*025 

9.928 

Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Grecia  (Centro)  

663 

716 

Barrio  de  San  Isidro 

,88 

"    de  Sarchi  Norte  

S2*; 

SOQ 

"    de  Sarchi  Sur         .... 

2QI 

26? 

ecft 

'•    de  Sirri 

3; 

"    de  Puente  Piedra  .... 

2Q'Z 

755 
627 

"    de  San  Jeronimo  
"    de  San  Roque  .   . 
"    de  San  Pedro  de  la  Union    
"    de  San  Jose"      

279 
297 
190 

•jq-j 

252 

299 
191 

^66 

531 

X 

"    de  Tacares       .   . 

26^ 

"    de  T/os  Angeles  

2IS 

198 

"    de  San  Juan     
"    de  Guatuso  

19! 

77 

186 
10 

382 
s? 

Total. 

4..d.m 

A..1AA 

8.707 

Canton  de  Atenas. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Atenas  (Centro)     

^88 

423 

811 

Barrio  de  Jesus  
"    de  Mercedes 

58i 

4-22 

544 

AA.6 

i,  «5 
878 

"    de  Santiago  
:<    de  Concepcion    

254 
364 

268 
365 

522 
729 

"    de  San  Isidro  
"    de  Candelaria 

232 

2OQ 

487 

"    de  San  Jos£  

265 

248 

CIT 

"    de  Los  Angeles  
"    de  Santa  Hulalia 

IU 

100 

18* 

367 

Total  . 

3.100 

^.ic8 

6.208 

Canton  de  San  Mateo. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  San  Mateo  (Centro) 

^6  1 

Bairio  de  Santo  Domingo  
"    de  Desmonte  .... 

3^4 

244 

357 

47^; 

"    de  Ramadas    

198 

1  86 

-184 

'    de  Mastate  

20^ 

226 

"    de  [esus  Maria            . 

146 

"    de  Maderal  

141 

135 

** 

Total  

1,746 

1,607 

3,353 

58 
Canton  de  Naranjo. 

Barrios,  etc.  Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Villa  del  Naraujo  (Centre)     

777 

830 

I  607 

Barrio  de  San  Juanillo     

444 

546  . 

990 
708 

*    de  San  Miguel                            

392 

41^ 

805 

281 

283 

'     de  Buena  Vista  y  Tapesco    
'    de  Barranca     

291 
280 

267 

219 

558 

499 

'    de  Concepcion    
'    de  San  Carlos 

'59 
l8q 

246 

1  12 

505 

'    de  Laguna    

161 

149 

310 

Total  . 

T..MS, 

•?.^QQ 

6.817 

Province  of  Cartago. 

Canton  de  Cartago. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Ciudad  de  Cartago  (Centre)   
Barrio  de  San  Nicolas 

1638 
i  357 

1,853 
i  407 

3,49i 

2  764 

'    de  LOS  Angeles  

7,192 

1,338 

2,530 

'    de  San  Francisco 

I>134 

1,203 

2,337 

'    de  Carmen   
'    de  San  Rafael                                               .   .   . 

i,c66 
995 

2.054 

1,887 

'    de  La  Concepcion 

80  1 

920 

i  811 

'    de  Guadalupe     
'    de  Pascon  y  Pacayas   
'    de  Santa  Cruz  y  Capelladas    
1    de  Corral  illo 

786 
667 

'ZCQ 

1,075 
7H 
550 
312 

2,036 

1,^00 

1.217 
662 

'    de  San  Juan  de  Tobosi  
"    de  Quebradilla  y  Bermejo 

270 

•  2OI 

278 

104 

548 
^95 

"    deTab!6n            .   . 

I7O 

171 

341 

Pueblo  de  Cot 

•5QQ 

418 

817 

"     de  Tobosi  

395 

360 

755 

Aldea  de  Cervantes 

V)7 

356 

751 

2f 

Total      

12,688 

13,210 

25,898 

Canton  de  Paraiso. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  del  Paraiso  (Centre)                                      .   .   . 

93  2 

967 

1,890 

870 

2,163 

"     de  La  Flor    
Pueblo  de  Orosi     
"     de  Tucurrique                                           .... 

590 

^47 

33i 
596 
292 

697 
1,186 
639 

"    de  Chirripo  

158 

122 

280 

Aldea  de  Cachi                                                         .    .   . 

278 

238 

5i6 

227 

212 

439 

Total  

4,191 

3,628 

7.819 

Canton  de  la  Union. 


;  Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  la  Union     
Barrio  de  San  Diego                                                 .   .   . 

53o 
394 

547 
408 

1,077 
802 

"    de  San  Rafael     ...       
"    de  Concepcion    .       

333 
293 
185 

328 

259 

182 

66  1 
552 
367 

"    de  San  Juan    
"    de  San  Ramon                                              .   . 

243 
167 

238 
149 

481 
3i6 

Total  . 

2.I4S 

2,111 

4,  256 

59 

Province  of  Heredia* 
Canton  de  Heredia. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Ciudad  de  Heredia  (Centre)  
Barrio  de  San  Pablo 

2,873 
8ql 

3,174 
004 

6,047 
1,795 

"  de  San  Joaquin  
"  de  San  Isidro  
11  de  Mercedes  
"  de  San  Antonio  
11  deElBarreal  .... 
"  de  Sarapiqui 

815 
970 

547 

3°7 

IS 
1,003 
588 
648 
347 
164 

1,641 
i,973 
i,i35 
1,207 

703 
471 

"  de  La  Rivera  

292 

330 

622 

"  de  San  Francisco  .  .  .  .... 

430 

456 

886 

Total 


8,040 


8,440 


16.480 


Canton  de  Barba. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

i 

Females.   ,      Total. 

Villa  de  Barba  (Centre)    
Barrio  de  San  Pedro 

!          <„ 

4QO 

493                 912 
496                 986 

"    de  San  Pablo    
"    de  Santa  I,ucin 

251 

122 

262                  5'3 

130                          2S2 

"    de  San  Roque  

1          161 

140                         301 

Total  

1       :  443 

1,521                      2,964 

Canton  de  Santa  Barbara. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Santa  Barbara  (Centre)      

326 
290 

362 
278 

6S8 
568 

"    de  San  Juan    .   .                  

294 

302 

^96 

•'    de  Santo  Domingo   
"    de  Jesus     

3? 

3^5 

136 

375 

3C3 

690 

Total  

1,392 

MS3 

2,845 

Canton  de  Santo  Domingo. 


Barrios,  etc.                                          Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Santo  Domingo  (Centre)    

948 
5i6 
393 
359 
177 
95 

1,032 
477 
417 
395 
214 
95 

1,980 
963 
810 

754 

39i 
190 

"     de  Santo  Tomas    
"    de  Santa  Rosa     .    .  »   
"    de  San  Vicente          .       .    .          

Total  

2,488 

2,630 

5-"8 

Canton  de  San  Rafael. 

Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  San  Rafael  (Centre)  
Barrio  de  San  Jos£  

808 
481 
277 
341 
172 

804 
494 
257 
383 
187 

i,  612 
975 
534 
7^4 
359 

"    de  Concepcion    

Total  . 

2,079 

2,125               4,204 

6o 


Province  of  G~u*iria.c<Lstc« 
Canton  de  Liberia. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Ma      . 

Females. 

Total. 

Ciudad  de  Liberia  (Centre)              

i  i  \\ 

2  226 

Barrio  de  Sardinal  

'567 

54° 

I.IO7 

"    de  Filadelfia       .       ...          

^88 

39° 

778 

"    de  Cafias  Dulces 

461 

•3  -1C 

708 

"    de  Palmira    

^96 

257 

ee-7 

"    de  Buenos  Aires 

2S4 

167 

Total  

3,063 

2,820 

5.883 

Canton  de  Cafias. 


Barrios,  etc. 


Males. 


Villa  de  Cafias  (Centro) 

I7O 

222                          4OI 

Barrio  de  Colorado  
"    de  Sandillal 

•   •    •             434 
I47 

207                         641 
1  34                       281 

"    de  Hotel    

.    .    .            124 

132                     256 

"    de  Santa  Rosa 

QI 

"    de  Buenaventura  
"    de  Bebedero 

.   .   .              94 
1  02 

80                     I74 
6  1                   163 

"    de  Javia     

46 

47                    93 

Total  

.   .   .  1       1,217 

948'              2,165 

Females. 


Total. 


Canton  de  Bagaces. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

Females. 

Total. 

Villa  de  Bagaces  (Centro)   

.180 

112 

239 

77 

419 
180 

**    de  Agua  Caliente     

48 

IOO 

Op 

•77 

122 

"    de  vtonte  JSegro    

II 

% 

S9 

107 
127 

44    de  Pijij6                         

68 

54 

122 

63 

48 

III 

"    de  Salitial                   .          

32 

25 

57 

26 

18 

44 

"    de  Cofradia                                 

38 

40 

78 

Total 


775 


701 


Canton  de  Santa  Cruz. 


Barrios,  etc. 


Males. 


Females. 


c.476 


Total. 


Villa  de  Santa  Cruz  (Centro)     

346 

386 

7*3 

368 

767 

'  '    de  Veintisiete  de  Abril  

•152 

382 

7*4 

1    de  Santa  Rosa 

296 

3OO 

596 

1    de  Limon  

220 

223 

443 

1    de  Tempate  y  Arenal               .          ... 

297 

294 

591 

'    de  Lagunilla    

160 

174 

334 

1    de  San  Juan                             

150 

1  39 

289 

de  Porte  Golpe 

151 

162 

3^3 

'    de  Arado   
'    de  Santa  Barbara 

144 
244 

137 
263 

281 

SO7 

'    de  Bolson  ...          

175 

186 

361 

Total  

2,903 

3,045 

5,948 

6i 
Canton  de  Nicoya. 


Barrios,  etc. 


Villa  de  Nicoya  (Centro) 
Barrio  de  Corrahllo    .   .   . 

"  de  Matina 

"  de  San  Antonio  .   . 

"  de  Santa  Rita  .   .    . 

"  de  Matambii    .   .   . 

"  de  Dulce  Nombre  . 

"  de  Sabana  grande 

"  de  Humo 

"  de  Santa  Ana  .   .   . 

"  de  San  Joaquin  .   . 

"  de  San  Lazaro    .   . 

"  de  San  Pablo  .   .   . 

"  de  San  Vicente  .   . 

"  de  Zapote 

"  de  Pueblo  Viejo  .    . 


Total 


Males. 


376 

222 

181 
161 


127 


132 


2,285 


Females. 


186 
175 
167 
•130 
153 
134 
172 

121 
102 

£ 

51 
70 
138 
1 10 


Total. 


2,292 


4,577 


Comarca  de  Puntarenas. 
Canton  de  Puntarenas. 


Barrios,  etc. 


Males. 


Females. 


Total. 


Ciudad  de  Puntarenas  (Centro) 1,188 

Barrio  de  los  Quemados 704 

'     de  Pitahaya 148 

"    de  Lagartos 85 

"    de  Abangares I  81 

"    de  Rio  Grande 81 

'    de  Paquera 146 

"    de  Chomes 190 

"    de  Ciruelitas 120 

"    de  Puerto  Alto 98 

' '    de  Cabo  Blanco 105 

"     de  Corosal 128 

"    de  Barranca 

"    de  Jicaral 

"    de  Chacarita \  77 

"    de  Lepanto •....'  75 

' '    de  Chira I  51 

"    de  San  Miguel 55 

"    de  Jigante 52 

"    de  Morales 57 

"    de  Tamhar 53 

de  Las  Agujas 85 

de  Curfi 29 

de  Presidio  de  San  Lucas 153 

de  Golfo  Dulce  (Centro) 303 

de  Cabagra 43 

de  Buenos  Aires 125 

Pueblo  de  Terraba .   .   .  107 

"    de  Baruca ' .  .   .  175 

Total 4,716 


100 
67 
57 
62 
13° 
132 

^3 
60 

106 

106 

100 

47 
55 
63 
45 
43 
53 

I 

220 
40 

154 
124 
214 


2,538 

I.27I 

248 


322 

Tsi 

211 


"3 
132 


105 

102 
89 

143 
65 

153 

523 
83 

279 


4.153 


8,869 


62 


Canton  de  Esparza. 


Barrios,  etc. 

Males. 

1  Females.         Total. 

Ciudad  de  Ksparza  (Centre)  .   .              .   . 

....            607 
....            159 

638               1,245 
140                  299 

Barrio  de  San  Jer6nimo  

de  San  Rafael     

....            275 

232                 507 

de  San  Juan  Grande   

....              89 

83                  172 

de  San  Juan  Chiquito     

•   •    •                  53 

5°                   103 

de  Macacoiia 

I"U 

de  Los  Nances    

....             118 

87                   205 

el  Baron     

....              52 

40                    92 

de  Paires  

....               91 

86                   177 

de  Maranonal  

....              69 

66                   135 

80 

Total  

.   .    .    .  :        1,724 

1-574               3-298 

Comarca 

de  Limon. 

Canton  de  Limon. 

Barrios,  etc. 

Males 

Females.         Total. 

Barrio  de  Reventazon   ...           .       ... 

...            656 

Ji9                   775 

de  Matina     

•    •                    53° 

103                  633 

de  Jimenez  

.  .      .  !        879 

106                  985 

de  Hospital  in  12  millas    

•  •      •          340 

171                   511 

de  Tortuguero    

...          124 

48                   172 

de  Estrella,  Cieneguita,  ) 
de  Bananito  y  Cahuita     j     ' 

....           269 

160                  429 

'  '     de  Talamanca    

....          926 

909                i  83  s 

Total  

....          S,24i 

2,243                7.484 

Costa  Rica  had  in   1892, 

taking  this 

census  as  a  basis, 

313  communities  distributed  as  follows: 

76  in  the  province  of  San  Jose  with 

76,718  inhabitants  ^   203,505  inhabit- 

73       "                            Alajuela       " 

57,203 

ants  in  tierra 

32       "                            Cartago        " 
31       "                            Heredia        " 

37,973 
31,611 

\      templada  or 
J   temperate  zone. 

53       "                            Guanacaste" 
40       "       comarca  de  Puntarenas  " 

20,049 
12,167 

]    39,  700  inhabit- 
ants in  tierra 
\        caliente  or 

8       "               "            Limon          " 

7,484 

J       warm  zone. 

As  may  have  been  observed,  there  is  a  great  repetition  of 
names  in  Costa  Rica,  especially  of  places  named  in  honor  of 
saints,  which  for  commercial  convenience  will  probably  be 
changed.  Of  communities  there  are  not  less  than 


»tJa 

So 

"  $5 

sp   sp 

p1©            Q"O 

all 

'o 

10  named 

San  Rafael  .    . 

3 

2 

3             i 

I 

7      " 

San  Juan.    .    . 

2 

2      . 

i             i 

1 

7       " 

San  Isidro    .    . 

I 

4 

i             i 

- 

7       " 

Concepcion  .    . 

- 

4 

2                  I 

- 

6      " 

San  Antonio  . 

3 

i 

r 

I 

5      " 

San  Pedro   .    . 

i 

2 

2 

- 

5       " 

San  Francisco 

2 

- 

I                  I 

I 

5       " 

Los  Angeles    . 

- 

3 

I                  I 

-. 

5       " 

San  Jose"  .    .    . 

I 

3 

I 

- 

5       " 

San  Pablo    .    . 

2 

- 

2 

I 

4       " 

San  Miguel     . 

i 

I 

- 

4       " 

Santiago       .    . 

i 

I                    { 

- 

i       <  < 
o 

San  Vicente    . 

- 

I 

I 

3 

San  Jer6nimo 

i 

- 

r 

3       " 

Mercedes  .    .    . 

i 

I 

- 

3       " 

Buenos  Aires  . 

- 

i 

- 

i 

3      " 

Santa  Rosa  .    . 

- 

- 

I 

2 

2          « 

Santa  Ana   .    . 

I 

- 

- 

I 

2         44 

San  Ramon     . 

- 

i 

I 

- 

2         44 

San  Roque  .    . 

- 

i 

I 

- 

2         " 

Jesus  

- 

i 

I 

- 

2         44 

San  Joaquin    . 

- 

- 

I 

I 

2         " 

Santa  Barbara 

- 

- 

I 

I 

eg  a 


Of  these  313  communities,  distributed  in  5  provinces  with 
28  cantones  and  in  2  comarcas  with  3  cantones,  the  following 
table  gives  their  relative  importance:  ' 


in  the 

Iii  the 

Centers. 

Inhabitants. 

warm  zone.            temperate  zone. 

i  had 

44 

.    .     I  

12  had  from 

50  to 

100  .     .     . 

...  II  

.     I 

5i         " 

100    " 

250    . 

40  

.  II 

79 

250  " 

500.    .. 

.    •  25  

54 

109 

500  " 

1,000  .     .     . 

...  17  ...... 

•  92 

27         " 

1,000    " 

1,500  .  .   . 

•    •    3  

.  24 

18 

1,500  4' 

2,000  .    .    . 

...    i  ..... 

•  17 

7 

2,000    4< 

2.500  .   .   . 

...      2  .     .      ... 

.    5 

5        " 

2,500  " 

3,000  .   .    . 

...      I   

-    4 

2            44 

3,000  " 

4,000  .    .    . 

...  —  

.      2 

I            <4 

6,000  " 

7,000  .   .    . 

...  —  ..... 

.      I 

I            " 

20,000  4< 

25,000  .    .    . 

.     .  —  

..     I 

313 


101 


212 


64 

In  order  to  give  an  idea  of  the  density  of  the  population, 
there  is  roundly  presented  in  the  following  table  the  area 
of  each  province  and  comarca,  its  total  population  and  its 
population  per  square  kilometer: 


Surface  in 

I 
km. 

square  km. 

Province  of  San  Tos£     .    .    . 

4,000 

80,000 

20.00 

i  1 

.< 

Alajuela  ....         11,000 
Cartago   ....          3,500 

60,000 
40,000 

5-45 

j>  Temperate  zone. 

'« 

Heredia  ,  .  .  .  1         1,500 

30,000 

20.00 

i  J 

«• 

Guanacaste    .   .         10,000 

2O.OCO 

2.OO 

'  ) 

Comarca 

dePuntarenas    .   .         11.000 

I2,OOO 

1.09 

!   >  Warm  zone. 

lyimon  

13,000 

8,000       i 

0.61 

1  j 

In  regard  to  the  age  of  the  population,  the  census  of  1892 
shows  that  there  were: 


Males. 

Females.                 Years. 

Males. 

Females. 

Years 

4,820 

4,348 

of  less  than    i 

3,929 

3,817     from 

45 

to 

50 

15,153 

14,438 

from    i  to    5 

3,949 

4,032         " 

50 

" 

55 

16,706 

16,688 

"       5  "  10 

2,037 

2,084 

55 

<( 

60 

14,849 

13,865 

"      10  "  15 

2,085 

2,145         " 

60 

11 

65 

11,876 

12,450 

"        15    "    20 

913 

952 

65 

" 

70 

11,412 

11,764 

"       20    "    25 

593 

755 

70 

11 

75 

11,160 

10,838 

"       25    "    30 

347 

426        " 

75 

" 

80 

9,652 

9,520 

"     30  "  35 

147 

281 

80 

11 

85 

6,868 

6,283 

35  "  40 

85 

no 

85 

11 

90 

5,824 

5,878 

40  "  45 

43 

58       " 

90 

11 

95 

32 

43 

95  to 

over 

100 

The  military  census  gives  the  following  figures  of  able- 
bodied  men  in  the  different  cantones,  provinces  and  comarcas : 


San  Jose"    .    .      3, 345  from  181035  years 
Escasu  ....     702         "  " 

Desamparados  1,121          "  " 


Province  of  San  lost. 

Total. 
[,218  from  36  to  50  years,  4,563 


Puriscal 
Aserri  .  . 
Mora  .  . 
Tarrazu  . 
Goicoechea 


93' 
623 
767 
299 
362 

8,150 


241 
372 
289 
197 

235 
88 

138 

2,778 


943 
i,493 

1,220 

820 

1,002 

387 
500 

10,928 


Alajuela  .  . 
San  Ramon 
Grecia  .  .  . 
Atenas  .  .  . 
San  Mateo  . 
Naranjo  .  . 
Pal  mares  . 


65 

Province  of  Alajuela. 

2, 125  from  18  to  35  years  .    .     732  from  36  to  50  years,  2.857 

"      i, 600 

"  1,094 
570 
926 

599 


1,121 

943 
428 

697 
442 

6,947 


409 
387 
151 
142 
229 
157 

2,207 


Province  of  Cartage. 

Cartago     .    .    .  2,512  from  18  to  35  years  .    .     869  from  36  to  50  years,  3,387 
Paraiso      ...     923          "  "         .    .     327  "  "      1,250 

La  Union     .    .     381          "  "        .    .     163  "  "         544 


3,816 


1.359 


5,175 


Province  of  Heredia. 


Heredia    .    .    .  1,929  from  18  to  35  years  . 
Barba    ....     341  " 

Santo  Domingo    623          "  " 

Santa  Barbara      298         "  " 

vSan  Rafael  .    .     478 


3,669 


738  from  36  to  50  years,  2,667 
122  "  "         463 

201  824 

109       "        «     407 
136       "        "     614 


:,3o6 


4,975 


Province  of  Guanacaste. 


Liberia  ....  732  from  1 8  to  35  years  . 

Canas    ....  122          "  " 

Bagaces    .    .    .  146  " 

Santa  Cruz  .    .  578          "  " 

Nicoya  ....  491  " 

2,069          "  " 


257  from  36  to  50  years,  989 

40            "               "  162 

5i             "               "  197 

185                             "      -  763 

*39  630 

672  "  "      2,741 


Comarca  de  Ptfntarenas. 
913  from  18  to  35  years  .    .     270  from  36  to  50  years,  i ,  183 


Comarci  de  Limon. 
78  from  1 8  to  35  years  .    .       39  from  36  to  50  years,     117 


Total 
Costa  Rica  .    .  25,642 


8,631 


34,273 


66 


The  movement    of  the    population    in  regard  to  births, 
deaths  and  increase  was  in  1892  as  follows: 


Province  or  Comarca. 


Births.         Deaths. 


Increase. 


San  Jose   .   , 
Alajuela    . 
Cartago     . 
Heredia    . 
Guanacaste 
Puntarenas 
Ivimon   .    .    . 


Total  . 


3,458 

2,633 

1,616 

1,412 

717 

464 

62 


,665 
,159 
802 


1,793 

1,474 

814 

577 
433 

2CO 


10,362 


5,067  5,295 


During  the  first  half  of  1897  there  were  in  the  capitals  of 
the  same  provinces  or  comarcas  the  following-  births  and 
deaths: 


BIRTHS. 


San  Jose   .  , 

Alajiiela    .  , 

Cartago     .  . 

Heredia     .  , 

Liberia  .  .  . 
Puntarenas . 
Limon  .  . 


Illegiti-jLegiti-1 
mate.  !  mate.  |  Total- 


Males.   Females. 


179 
82 
63 
13 
34 


Total  . 


434 


428 
290 


13 
15 

7 

1,186 


607 
372 
420 


50 
35 

1,620 


825 


795 


825 


795 


DEATHS 


Males.   Females.    Total. 


247 

"7 

'i 

13 

44 
38     < 


209 
115 

117 
92 
'4 

35 
24 


456 
232 
250 
177 
27 


677  606 


1,283 


Deaths  by  Ages. 

From    i  to    5  years 709 

From    6  to  20  years 65 

From  21  to  50  years 317 

From  51  and  upward 192 

Total 1283 

These  data  show   in    favor   of   births  over  deaths  an  in- 
crease of  337,  of  whom  148  were  males  and  189  females. 
The  causes  of  death  in  each  1000  cases  were  as  follows: 

Fever 220      Heart  failure .  31 

Cholera  infantum   ......  112  Apoplexy  and  paralysis    ...  Si 

Diarrhea 52       Indigestion 12 

Dysentery  and  colic 77   i   Gastro-enteritis 15 

Typhoid  fever 26   j   Enteritis 28 

Bronchitis  and  pneumonia  .    .  91    !   Inflammation 35 

Phthisis 42   |   Cancer  .    .           16 

Influenza 17   (   Blood-poison 17 

Dropsy .  31       Syphilis 5 


67 

In  regard  to  social  conditions,  the  population  of  Gosta 
Rica  was  distributed  in  1892,  by  percentages,  as  follows: 


Province  or 
Com  area. 


San  Jos£  .  . 
Alajuela  .  . 
Cartago  .  . 
Heredia  .  . 
Guanacaste 
Puntarenas 
Jyimon  .  . 


Married. 

Divorced. 

Widowers. 

Widows. 

Single 
Male. 

Single 
Female. 

27.52 

0.38 

0.89 

2.98 

33-77 

34.46 

28.71 

O.II 

0.87 

3-17 

34.16 

32.98 

26.76 

0.08 

1.16 

3.98 

34-82 

33-20 

28.33 

0.07 

i.  06 

3-22 

32-94 

34.38 

22.82 

0.64 

1.60 

3-59 

37-53 

33-82 

18.17 
5-05 

0.30 
0.16 

LI? 
0-39 

3-51 

0.70 

40.07 
69.18 

-36.78 
24-52 

With  respect  to  instruction  there  were  28,208  individuals 
who  could  read,  and  48,215  persons  who  could  read  and  write, 
leaving  166,782  illiterates,  or  68.58  per  cent  of  the  entire 
population  who  could  not  read  or  write. 

It  will  be  interesting  for  the  economist  to  know  the  per- 
centage of  the  population  capable  of  reading,  or  writing  and 
reading.  It  is  as  follows: 


Province  of  Cartago. 


Province  of  San  Jose. 


1 

Readers 

1  Readers. 

and 

writers. 



San  Jos£    .... 
Escasu  

20.00 
8.08 

38.98 
9r52 

Desamparados  . 

15.40 

2O.OI 

Puriscal    .... 

.       .         9-16 

11.82 

Aserri     

5.32 

6-55 

Mora  

6.05 

6.21 

Tarrazii     .... 
Goicoechea     .   . 

9-C9 
12.83 

10.95 

21.64 

14.72 

25.69 

Readers. 

Readers 
and 
writers. 

Cartago  
Paraiso 

11.50 
6  42 

16.83 

8  Q2  ' 

La  Union  

10.83 

17.10 

10.38 

15.23 

Province  of  Heredia. 


Province  of  Alajuela. 


Readers. 

Readers 
and 
writers. 

Heredia    
Barba     
Santo  Domingo    . 
Santa  Barbara   .    . 
San  Rafael  .... 

15-42 
12.72 
14.16 

9.08 

27.81 
20.27 
19-50 
17.40 
14.81 

13-77 

22.45 

Readers. 


Alajuela  .  , 
San  Ramon 
Grecia  .  .  , 
Atenas  .  .  , 
San  Mateo 
Naranjo  .  . 
Palmares  . 


10.09 
8.48 
8.32 
5-51 

7'!i 

10.06 
6.c6 

8.71 


Readers 

and 
writers. 


20.17 

10.02 
11.22 

9-45 
12.55 
12.98 

15-45 
14-33 


Province  of  Guanacaste. 


Readers. 

Readers 
and 
writers. 

Liberia  . 
Canas     
Bagaces    

14-65 
7.7r 
8-94 

19.08 
10.85 
-     18.63 

Santa  Cruz  .... 
Nicoya 

10.47 
ii  84 

13-14 
is  os 

11.60 

1548 

68 


Comarca  de  Ptmtarenas. 


Readers. 


Puntarenas . 
Ksparza    .   . 


7-05 
7-43 


7-15 


Readers 

and 
writers. 


16.55 
11.76 

15-25 


Oomarca  de  Limon. 


Readers. 

Readers 
and 
writers. 

Limon   

5.76 

31-25 

Total  Costa  Rica  . 

1  1.  60 

19.82 

The  total  literates  were  76,423  persons,  or  31.42  per  cent 
of  the  population. 

In  the  capitals  of  the  different  provinces  and  comarcas 
the  proportion  was  as  follows: 


Readers. 

San  Jose 25.37  Per  cent. 

Alajuela    .......  16.92  " 

Cartago 19-99  " 

Heredia 15.66  " 

Liberia 9.38  " 

Puntarenas 17.25  " 

Limon 13.47 


20.53 


Readers  and  Writers. 
44.62  per  cent. 
31.58 

37-83         " 
36.31 
21.96 

26.24         " 
39-55 


38.77 


For  these  cities  the  total  literates  were  23,488  persons  or 
59.5  per  cent,  of  their  population. 

There  were,  out  of  the  total  number,  17,483  school  chil- 
dren, who  were  taught  by  451  teachers  in  public  schools. 

There  were  also  6289  foreigners  in  the  country,  of  which 

2,516  were  in  the  Province  of  San  Jose. 


395 
362 
138 
634 
1,293 


;     Alajuela. 
"     Cartago. 
"     Heredia. 
' '     Guanacaste. 
Comarca  de  Puntarenas. 
"   Limon. 


These  foreigners  were  distributed  by  nationalities  as  fol 
lows: 


1,302  Nicaraguans, 
831  Spaniards, 
812  Colombians, 
634  Jamaicans, 
622  Italians, 


342  Germans, 
246  Englishmen, 
204  Americans, 
195  Salvadorans, 
189  Frenchmen, 


160  Guatemalans, 
156  Cubans, 
175  Chinamen, 
132  Hondurans. 


69 

With  respect  to  occupations,  there  were  in  Costa  Rica  in 
1892: 


896  Cattle- farmers, 
8,314  Agriculturists, 

male, 
194  Agriculturists, 

female, 
22,190  Laborers, 

349  Servants,  male, 
2,348          "      female, 

40  Cooks,  male, 
3,801      "        female, 
4,541  Seamstresses, 
1,031  Laundry  iron- 

ers, 

5,873  Laundry  clean- 
ers, 

366  Tailors, 
378  Shoemakers, 
980  Carpenters, 


2,102  Carmen, 
96  Mule  drivers, 
565  Masons, 
279  Butchers, 
900  Merchants, 
911  Clerks, 
92  Lawyers, 
46  Surveyors, 
131  Barbers, 
913  Government 
employes, 
541  Cigarmakers, 
265  Hat  makers, 
in  Bakers, 
54  Pharmacists, 
ii  Commission 
merchants, 
36  Watchmen, 


82  Blacksmiths, 
88  Hotel  keepers, 
42  Physicians, 
243  Musicians, 
16  Engineers, 
12  Mechanics, 
6  Miners, 
41  Painters, 
20  Silversmiths, 
15  Watchmakers, 

27  Saddlers, 
49  Tanners, 
12  Dyers, 
77  Printers, 
84  Sailors, 

28  Carpet  makers. 


A  distribution  of  the  people  by  their  principal  occupa- 
tions in  the  different  cantones  was  as  follows: 


(See  next  page.) 


•SJOJIBJ, 


•S31000 


•  S431H  JBJ 


t<3  O  OMO  N  00  MOO  | 


l-llll" 


'U3UUBO 


oooo  N 


•      1 


'SJUBAJ3S 


CO  r^  ^    M    M    t-i    rO 
O    O  ON  CO  CS   ir>  M  ' 


•S9A*OldlU9 
1U9UIIU9AOO 


•S40IIBX 


'U9UUB3 


•8^4913 


tjOOO 


£N 


Cartago 
Paraiso 
La  Union 


•S433JBUI 


'U9UUB3 


•8314910 


'S491U4BJ 


•S49lU4Bd 


SSS'SS 


Heredia  .... 
Barba  ..... 
Santo  Domingo 
Santa  Barbara  . 
San  Rafael  .  .  . 


•SJOJIBJ, 
•U9UUB3 


•saatuaBj 


M    M     I     IT)  C 


W    »-<    t^VO    <N 

oo  rcoo  N  in 


•SJ3UIJBJ 


•saauuBj 


cd       £0 

•S38a§>, 

AtR  bo  a  o 


!     •  -1 


-S.l3JU3d.IBO 


73 

The  criminal  statistics  of  Costa  Rica  for  1896  were  as  fol- 
lows: 

There  were  4022  delinquencies  punished  by  the  police 
courts,  namely:  1,295  ^n  San  Jose,  626  in  Alajuela,  678  in  Car- 
tago,  520  in  Heredia,  200  in  Liberia,  424  in  Puntarenas  and 
279  in  Port  Limon.  Of  these  there  were  convictions  of 

1686  for  drunkenness  and  disorder. 
861  for  slight  misdemeanors. 

340  for  fighting,  domestic  scandals  and  inflicting  slight  injuries. 
274  for  violations  of  sanitary  and  moral  ordinances. 
280  for  vagrancy. 
80  for  carrying  arms. 
65  for  petty  larceny. 
6  for  larceny. 

There  were  also  989  criminal  sentences  recorded  in  the 
Court  of  Second  Instance,  together  with  124  criminal  and  civil 
judgments  in  the  Court  of  Cassation. 

The  national  "Presidio  de  Sam  Lucas"  contained  at  the 
same  time  170  prisoners.  Costa  Rica  in  1896  had  1744  prosti- 
tutes, mostly  between  sixteen  and  twenty-five  years  of  age, 
under  supervision.  Nearly  half  of  this  number  were  in  San 
Jose,  the  rest  in  the  ports  and  in  Heredia,  Alajuela  and  Car- 
tago.  Nearly  300  women  were  in  the  hospitals  being  treated 
for  venereal  diseases,  while  502  individuals  were  registered  in 
the  "Department  de  profilaxis  venerea." 

There  were  during  the  same  year  thirteen  commercial  in- 
solvencies, two  cases  of  absolute  and  three  of  partial  divorce. 

The  different  courts  of  the  country,  during  the  year  of 
1896,  entered  5417  civil  and  testamentary  judgments,  including 
a  number  concerning  mining  and  national  land  claims 

The  people  of  Costa  Rica  must  be  considered  as  standing 
high  above  those  of  the  neighboring  countries  in  regard  to 
morals  and  civilization.  The  -mass  of  the  people  is  indus- 
trious, honest,  sober,  clean,  comparatively  well-clothed, 
economical,  obedient  to  the  authorities  and  respectful  of  the 
laws. 


VII. 


IMMIGRATION  AND  COLONIES. 


Immigration  to  X^osta  Rica  has  been  small.  During  the 
first  half  of  1897  there  entered  1533  individuals  by  Port 
Limon  and  389  by  the  Port  of  Puntarenas;  but  during  the 
same  time  1150  persons  left  Costa  Rica  through  Port  Limon 
and  344  through  Puntarenas.  The  result  is  a  gain  of  only 
428  persons  in  favor  of  the  country.  In  1896,  the  excess  of 
registered  immigrants  over  emigrants  was  1112  persons, 
there  having  entered  3980  and  departed  2868  persons.  Sev- 
eral times  attempts  have  unsuccessfully  been  made  by  for- 
eigners to  establish  colonies. 

Still  there  is  a  colony  in  the  Department  of  Guanacaste, 
called  "Colonia  de  Nicoya,"  which  was  commenced  by 
Cubans,  headed  by  Maceo,  the  late  Cuban  revolutionist 
chief.  This  colony  possesses  a  sugar  factory  and  five 
trapiches,  producing  720  quintals  of  sugar  and  about  3000 
quintals  of  mascabado.  Only  five  colonists  still  cultivate 
tobacco.  The  colony  has  a  school  for  boys  and  another  for 
girls,  the  latter  attended  by  thirty  and  the  other  by  forty 
pupils.  Besides  there  is  here  postal  service  and  a  telegraph 
office. 

A  second  colony  located  in  the  San  Carlos  district  is 
known  as  "Colonia  de  Aguas  "Zarcas,"  and  has  500  lots,  but  it 
does  not  progress  for  lack  of  roads  and  markets  easy  to  reach. 

A  third  colony  was  established  in  Santa  Clara,  on  a 
branch  of  the  Atlantic  Railroad.  But  there  are  actually  there 
only  eight  families  with  about  seventy  hectares  of  cultivated 
land,  one  trapiche  and  a  saw-mill. 

(74) 


75 

Another  colony  was  started  by  the  River  Plate  Trust, 
Loan  and  Agency  Company,  Limited,  in  Turialba,  near  the 
railroad  between  Limon  and  San  Jose.  There  were  500 
acres  sold  for  15  pesos  each,  2071.9  acres  for  20  pesos  each, 
750  acres  for  25  pesos  each,  and  1381.1  acres  for  30  pesos 
each,  the  land  being  situated  on  the  Tuis  River  and  Cabeza 
de  Buey.  Besides  a  contract  was  made  with  W.  C.  Beal  from 
Portland,  Oregon,  U.  S.  A.,  for  the  sale  of  14,000  acres  on 
condition  of  procuring  each  year  for  seven  years  the  settle- 
ment of  a  number  of  families  to  cultivate  these  lands.  In 
order  to  give  easy  access  to  the  markets,  a  cart  road  is  in 
process  of  construction,  which  will  connect  the  colony  with 
the  nearest  railroad  station. 

The  Government  of  Costa  Rica  is  now  preparing  new 
laws  in  regard  to  immigration,  colonization  and  sale  of 
national  lands.  The  former  laws  have  been  suspended,  the 
Government  being  convinced  that  the  lands  appropriated  in 
former  years  are  more  than  sufficient  to  respond  to  the  re- 
quirements of  the  next  twenty  years.  The  Government  also 
thinks  it  to  be  preferable  to  promote  by  restrictive  laws  the 
subdivision  of  these  lands  and  their  cultivation  than  to  con- 
sent to  new  grants  under  the  former  statutes.  Exceptions  are 
to  be  made  for  'colonization  companies  and  enterprises 
adapted  to  the  economic  development  of  the  country. 

In  former  years  the  Government  of  Costa  Rica  has  often 
offered  inducements  in  the  way  of  land-grants  for  European 
immigration.  In  1849  a  grant  of  land  of  twenty  leagues  in 
length  by  twelve  in  breadth  was  made  to  a  French  company 
for  looo  colonists.  The  conditions  of  the  contract  were  not 
carried  out,  though  a  considerable  number  of  immigrants 
formed  under  it  an  establishment.  A  similar  grant  was  made 
on  the  Atlantic  coast  to  a  British  company,  which  had  no  re- 
sult. 

Still  another  concession  was  made,  May  7,  1852,  to  a 
German  company  organized  at  Berlin  with  Ba'ron  von 
Riilow  as  Director.  This  enterprise  died  with  its  manager  in 
1856. 

A  further  attempt  was  made  in  1852,  by  Crisanto  Medina, 
to  whom  a  large  grant  of  la.nd  was  made  for  colonization  pur- 


76 

poses  at  Miravalles,  about  2500  feet  above  the  sea,  but  this 
project  too  was  abandoned  after  settling  about  thirty-seven 
Germans  on  the  grant.  In  1856,  some  French  immigrants 
came,  and  in  1858  another  colonization  law  was  passed,  and 
ever  since  the  Government  has  persisted  in  the  policy  of  aug- 
menting the  population  by  offering  inducements  to  foreigners 
to  settle  in  Costa  Rica.  All  these  Government  proffers  have, 
however,  proved  ineffectual. 


VIII. 


PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION. 


Elementary  instruction  of  both  sexes  is  compulsory  and 
at  the  expense  of  the  Government. 

The  following  data  are  obtained  from  the  Minister  of 
Public  Instruction,  Licentiate  Ricardo  Pacheco.  In  1896 
Costa  Rica  had  327  primary  schools  with  21,913  enrolled 
pupils,  or  53  per  cent,  of  all  the  children  of  school  age,  as 
can  be  seen  in  the  following  table: 


NUMBER  OF  OFFICIAL 
SCHOOLS 

NUMBER  OF  PUPILS. 

i 

j 

"5 

rP 

Q 

O             -    r: 

«'o'° 

»         <2 

I 

3 

ai 

X 

'3 

i 

3    sl 

$ 

•5 

2 

«          O 

3 

i 

£      £ 

6  . 

• 

! 

; 

Sanjos£   ... 
Alajuela    .... 
Cartago     .... 
Heredia    .... 

8 

25 

20 

'    43 

45 
24 

20 

6 
16 
i 

7 

02 
107 
50 

47 

3,766 
3,028 
1,817 
2,132 

3,766 
2,862 

1,475 
1,728 

7,118 
5.890 
3,292 
3,880 

78.45  28.81 
55-04  32.36 
65.841  24.75 
82.561  26.76 

9.27 
10.29 

8.66 
12.27 

54-57 
i   60.57 
5i-07 
72.19 

Guanacaste     .   . 

II 

9 

i 

21 

649 

513 

55-33 

21.92 

5-79 

34-09 

Puntarenas.   .   . 

5 

4 

— 

9 

297 

199 

496 

55." 

22.59 

4.07 

23.08 

Limon    

-!    -1     ' 

i 

30 

45  j        75  i   75-oo 

37-50 

I.OO 

58.96 

150  !   us  1    3« 

327 

11,719110,194  21,913     67.01 

27.94 

9.01 

53- 

This  great  number  shows  a  marked  predisposition  of  the 
people  in  favor  of  education.  It  is  also  a  fact  that  Costa  Rica 
holds  the  first  place  of  all  Latin  American  nations  in  regard 
to  public  instruction. 

The  number  of  school  buildings  is  215,  besides  29  in 
process  of  construction  and  50  projected.     These  215  build- 
to) 


78 

ings  are  the  property  of  the  "Juntas  de  Educacion."     Besides 
these,  107  buildings  are  rented  and  6  loaned.    There  are 

92  schools  in  48  different  localities  in  the  Department  of  San  Jose. 


107 

50 

47 

21 

9 
i 


67 

27 
29 

22 

8 

i 


Alajuela. 

Cartago. 

Heredia. 

Guanacaste. 

Puntarenas. 

Linion. 


327  schools  in  202  different  localities. 


Costa  Rica  has  more  teachers  than  soldiers.  The  num- 
ber of  the  former  reaches  the  figure  of  784,  of  whom  337  are 
men  and  447  women,  distributed  in  the  following  way: 


Men. 

Women. 

Total. 

Costa 
Ricans. 

Yearly 

Salaries  in 
Pesos. 

Sanjos£   

98 

149 

247 

221 

128,54° 

Alajuela    

80 

102 

182 

I67 

79,920 

Cartago  
Heredia    

8 

& 

133 
145 

126 
137 

58,020 
61,260 

Guanacaste     •. 

30 

23 

53 

45 

25,680 

Puntarenas     

7 

15 

22 

13 

11,700 

Ivimon    

2 

2 

2 

2,100 

337 

447 

784 

711 

367,020 

Among  the  foreign  teacher^  are : 
38  Spaniards,  2  Salvadorans, 


12  Colombians, 
9  Nicaraguans, 
2  Guatemalans, 


2  Germans, 
i  Honduran, 
i  Mexican, 


i  Venezuelan, 
i  Frenchman, 
i  Englishman, 
i  Italian. 


The  average  monthly  salary  is  45  pesos. 

There  are  over  250  "Juntas  de  Educacion"  in  the  differ- 
ent Departments,  Cantones  and  Districts. 

The  National  Government  aided  them  with  95,587.59 
pesos,  in  the  following  manner: 

16,572.99  pesos  to  the  Juntas  of  the  Department  of  San  Jose. 
14,686.10  "  "  "  Alajuela. 

2,100.00  "  "  "  "  Cartago. 

31,768.50  "  "  "  "  Heredia. 

30,100.00  "  "  "  Guanacaste. 

tfo.oo  "  "  "  "  Puntarenas. 


79 

To  aid  these  Juntas  a  special  school-loan  has  been  made; 
besides  the  taxes  on  slaughtering  are  turned  over  to  them. 

Higher  education  is  given  in  the  Liceo  de  Costa  Rica, 
with  206  enrolled  students,  and  in  the  Colegio  Superior  de 
Senoritas,  with  223  students,  both  in  San  Jose;  also  in  the 
provincial  Institutes  of  Cartago,  Alajuela  and  Heredia. 

There  is  in  addition  a  school  for  medicine  and  pharmacy 
in  San  Jose  with  seventeen  students,  and  a  law-school  depend- 
ent on  the  ''college  of  lawyers." 

For  other  higher  studies  the  Government  pays  the  ex- 
penses of  ten  Costa  Ricans  in  European  universities  and  high- 
schools.  Further,  the  Government  of  Chile  allows  six  Costa 
Ricans  to  study  at  its  expense  in  the  pedagogical  Institute  of 
Santiago. 

Another  very  important  national  institution  is  the  "In- 
stituto  fisico-geografieo,"  under  the  direction  of  the  very 
competent  Professor  H.  Pittier,  with  three  sections;  a  geo- 
graphical section  for  topographical  study  and  a  construc- 
tion of  maps,  also  a  meteorological  and  a  botanical  section. 
Their  excellent  publications  have  proved  the  great  usefulness 
of  this  institution,  and  it  is  to  be  wished  that  its  able  and 
learned  director  will  get  adequate  aid  to  carry  out  his  promis- 
ing studies  of  the  physical  features  of  Costa  Rica. 

Another  useful  institution  is  the  "National  Museum," 
under  the  intelligent  direction  of  a  young  Costa  Rican 
scientist,  Mr.  Anastasio  Alfaro.  It  has  an  interesting  section 
of  archaeology  and  ethnography,  and  a  section  of  zoology, 
already  rich  in  cabinets,  to  which  is  attached  a  small  zoolog- 
ical garden. 

A  third  useful  institution  is  the  "National  Library"  with 
10,242  catalogued  books  and  about  5,000  more  ready  to  be 
registered  and  incorporated. 

The  first  steps  towards  the  organization  of  educational 
institutions  were  taken  in  1824,  under  the  administration  of 
Don  Juan  Mora  Fernandez.  Then  public  instruction  was  de- 
clared an  obligatory  duty  of  the  State.  The  institution, 
which  afterward  became  the  University  of  Santo  Tomas,  was 
founded  in  1844,  at  the  instigation  of  Dr.  Castilo.  The  efforts 
of  Costa  Rica  to  advance  education  have  been  great  and  sus- 


So 

tained,  and  it  is  to  be  remarked  that  those  in  office  have  con- 
stantly shown  laudable  interest  in  the  matter.  In  1869  the 
Normal  School  was  opened  and  a  system  adopted  in  harmony 
with  modern  standards. 

As  related  to  the  subject  of  public  education,  the  follow- 
ing list  enumerates  the  names  of  the  principal  daily  and 
weekly  papers,  periodicals  and  annual  publications: 

The  principal  newspapers  are: 

Dailies: 

La  Gaceta  oficial,  El  Figaro,  El  Pabellon  Liberal, 

Diario  de  Costa  Rica,  La  Prensa  libre,  La  Union  Cat61ica. 

La  Republica,  El  Diarito, 

El  Heraldo,  El  Imparcial, 

Weekly  publications  <are: 

La  Abeja  medica,  El  Sancho  Panzo, 

Boletin  de  las  Escuelas  Primarias,  El  Bocaccio, 

La  Gaceta  me"dica,  La  Voz  del  Pueblo. 
El  Latiguillo, 

Annual  publications  are: 

Anales  del  Museo  Nacional,  Anuario  de  la  Inspeccion  general 

Anales  del  Institute  fisico-geogranco,        de  ensenanza, 

Anuario  estadistico,  Memorias  de  los  Ministerios. 


IX. 


TRANSPORTATION,  POST  AND  TELEGRAPH. 

Port  Limon  on  the  Atlantic  anki  Puntarenas  on  the  Pacific 
Ocean  are  first  in  importance  among  the  means  of  com- 
munication of  Costa  Rica. 

In  1894  there  entered  the  Port  of  Limon  294  vessels  (271 
steamers,  20  barks  and  3  goletas),  with  a  tonnage  of  348,355 
tons.  Of  these,  16  vessels  bore  the  national  flag,  142  the 
English,  12  the  French,  26  the  German,  27  the  Swedish-Nor- 
wegian, 47  that  of  the  United  States,  1 1  the  Nicaraguan,  and 
3  the  Colombian  flag. 

During  the  same  year  there  entered  the  Port  of  Punta- 
renas 158  vessels  (125  steamers,  24  barks,  5  paileboats,  4 
launches),  having  a  tonnage  of  155,869  tons.  Of  these,  14 
carried  the  national  flag,  34  the  English,  I  the  Italian,  23  the 
German,  3  the  Swedish-Norwegian,  4  the  Danish,  74  that  of 
the  United  States,  and  5  the  Colombian  flag. 

iln  1895  there  entered  the  Port  of  Limon  311  vessels, 
with  a  tonnage  of  281,361,  while  in  the  Port  of  Puntarenas 
there  entered  147  vessels,  with  a  tonnage  of  146,313. 

In  1896  there  entered  the  Port  of  Limon  258  steamers 
and  41  sailing  vessels,  while  152  vessels  entered  Puntarenas,  of 
which  73  were  steamers  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Com- 
pany, 28  steamers  of  an  English  cattle  transporting  company, 
8  German  steamers  of  the  Cosmos  and  Kirsten  lines,  9  Co- 
lombian paileboats,  16  German  barks,  n  Norwegian  barks, 
3  English  barks,  2  Italian  'barks,  and  i  French  bark. 

The  agents  of  the  different  steamship  lines  in  the  capital, 
San  Jose,  are,  for  the  Port  of  Limon:  Mr.  Juan  Knohr  for  the 
Hamburg  American  Steamship  Company;  Mr.  John  M. 
Keith  for  the  Atlas  Line;  Mr.  I.  R.  Sasso  for  the  Italian 

(Si) 


82 

Line,  La  Veloce;  Messrs.  Lyon  &  Co.  for  the  Royal  Mail 
Line;  Messrs.  W.  J.  Field  &  Co.  for  the  Prince  Line;  Mr. 
Minor  C.  Keith  for  the  Spanish  Transatlantic  Line;  Messrs. 
Alvarado  &  Co.  for  the  French  Transatlantic  Line;  Mr. 
Minor  C.  Keith  for  the  New  Orleans  lines;  while  Messrs. 
Rohrmoser  &  Co.  are  the  agents  for  the  Port  of  Puntarenas 
of  the  Hamburg  Pacific  Steamship  Company,  the  Kosmos 
Line  and  the  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company. 

There  are  two  important  railroads,  the  Atlantic  and  the 
Pacific  Railroads.  The  Atlantic  Railroad  goes  from  the  Port 
of  Limon  westerly  to  Alajuela,  a  distance  of  190  kilometers. 
The  stations  on  the  line  are  Limon,  Moiii,  S.  Mouth, 
Matina,  Siquirres,  La  Junta,  Pascua,  Torito,  Turialba,  Las 
Pavas,  Tucurique,  Juan  Vinas,  Santiago,  Paraiso,  Cartago, 
Tres  Rios,  Curridabat,  San  Pedro,  San  Jose,  San  Juan,  Santo 
Domingo,  Heredia,  San  Joaquin,  Rio  Segundo,  Alajuela. 

A  branch  of  this  road  starts  from  La  Junta,  a  point  about 
thirty-four  kilometers  west  of  Port  Limon,  and  runs  first 
northward  and  then  westward  until  it  re'aches  Guapiles,  a 
recently  founded  colony  on  the  plains  of  Santa  Clara.  It  was 
originally  intended  to  lay  the  track  to  Carrillo  and  through 
the  La  Palma  Pass  to  San  Jose,  but  this  plan  has  not  been 
carried  out. 

Another  branch  goes  from  Port  Limon  to  the  Banana 
River,  a  distance  of  about  five  kilometers. 

The  gross  earnings  of  this  road  were: 

In  1891-1892 1,409,598  pesos. 

'    1892-1893 i,973»936 

4    1893-1894 2,250,979 

*  1894-1895 2,446,701 

*  Second  half  of  1895 892,932 

4    1896 2,618,113 

The  net  earnings  were  as  follows: 

In  1891-1892 362,066  pesos. 

1892-1893 697,479 

1893-1894 674,452 

1894-1895 1,030,160 

Second  half  of  1895 677,986 

1896 1,114,290 


83 
It  moved  during  the  fiscal  year  of  1896: 


574,723 passengers. 

10,315 tons  of  goods  for  export. 

23,245  .......         "      imported  goods. 

34,558 "      local  freight 

52,335 tons  or  1,570,060  bunches  of  bananas. 

3,801 animals. 


This  road  has  a  number  of  good  station-buildings,  and 
a  pier  at  Port  Limon  with  all  facilities  for  the  quick  handling 
of  freight,  especially  of  bananas.  The  freight  rates  are  rela- 
tively very  high. 

The  Pacific  Railroad,  about  fourteen  miles  (or  twenty- 
two  kilometers)  in  length,  belongs  to  the  Government,  and 
runs  from  Puntarenas  east  to  Esparta,  about  seven  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea.  It  received  in  1896,  18,4^6.60  pesos  from 
freights  and  19,392.80  pesos  from  passengers. 

During  the  same  time  the  Government  expended 
24,288.31  pesos  in  improvements. 

Another  railroad,  on  Government  account,  is  under  con- 
struction to  connect  San  Jose  with  the  Pacific  coast,  and  a 
million  pesos  are  annually  set  aside  for  the  work.  It  is  to 
be  about  ninety  kilometers  long  and  to  run  most  of  the  way 
through  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  western  end  for 
about  twenty-four  kilometers  will  cross  a  roughly  broken 
country  in  order  to  reach  the  roadstead  of  Tivives. 

An  important  line  of  railway  is  projected  (to  run  from 
Jimenez,  on  the  Guapiles  branch  of  the  Costa  Rica  Railway, 
fifty-six  miles  from  Port  Limon,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Frio, 
near  its  entrance  into  the  Lake  of  Nicaragua 

It  is  to  cross  the  River  San  Carlos  near  El  Muelle,  from 
which  point  it  is  proposed  to  extend  the  line  through  a  low 
pass  of  the  'Miravalles  mountains,  about  two  thousand  feet 
above  sea-level,  to  Culebra  Bay  on  the  Pacific.  Such  a  rail- 
way would  contribute  enormously  to  the  development  of 
northern  Costa  Rica.  The  region  traversed  by  the  line  is 
highly  fertile.  A  connection  of  the  Costa  Rica  Railway  with 
Lake  Nicaragua  would  also  give  to  the  State  of  Nicaragua 


84 

a  much  needed  convenient  a'ccess  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  for 
nearly  its  entire  trade. 

Another  important  project  President  Iglesias  contem- 
plates. It  is  a  ship  canal  along  the  coast  line  from  Matina  to 
the  Colorado  River,  and  even  on  to  the  mouth  of  the  San 
Juan,  a  total  distance  of  over  sixty-five  miles.  This  coast 
consists  of  a  continuous  narrow  sandbank  between  which  and 
the  mainland  there  is  an  inlet  or  arm  of  the  sea,  said  to  be 
navigable  now  for  the  whole  distance. 

This  ship-canal  would  open  an  extensive  banana  region 
as  well  as  excellent  lands  for  the  cultivation  of  cacao  and 
rubber  trees  and  many  other  tropical  plants. 

With  respect  to  other  internal  'communications,  there 
exists  a  fairly  good  cart-road,  opened  about  sixty  years  ago, 
from  Cartago  via  San  Jose  to  Puntarenas.  Over  this  road 
nearly  all  export  and  import  traffic  was  done  until  the 
Atlantic  Railroad  was  opened  in  1891. 

Another  cart-road  runs  across  Guanacaste  to  Nicaragua. 
Besides  these  roads  there  is  a  small  number  of  shorter  and 
more  local  roads,  not  counting  ia  well-paved  one,  about 
twenty-five  miles  long,  now  partly  abandoned.  It  goes 
through  the  La  Palma  Pass  towards  Carrillo,  Santa  Clara 
and  the  Atlantic  coast. 

There  is  a  tramway  in  Cartago,  connecting  the  city  with 
its  suburbs  and  Aguacaliente.  In  San  Jose  a  trolley  line  is 
soon  to  be  established.  Away  from  the  conveniences  now 
enumerated  the  people  are  wont  to  ride  on  horse  or  mule 
trails.  The  Government,  however,  takes  care  to  increase 
and  improve  the  cart-roads  and  other  means  of  communica- 
tions. During  the  last  fiscal  year  over  one  hundred  and  nine- 
ty-four thousand  pesos  were  spent  on  roads  and  bridges,  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  Costa  Rica,  in  this  respect,  too,  is  far 
ahead  of  the  other  Central  American  countries.  'Most  of  the 
Government  expenditure  named  was  spent  on  the  national 
cart-road,  the  roads  to  San  Carlos,  Puriscal,  Tablazo  and 
Sarapiqui  and  on  bridges  over  the  Rio  Grande,  Reventazon, 
Bagaces,  etc.  In  each  district  there  is  a  "Junta  Itineraria"  for 
the  conservation  and  improvement  of  roads,  every  proprietoi 
participating  in  proportion  to  his  property. 


85 

The  following  itinerary  of  roads  and  water  routes,  their 
distances  and  character,  is  reproduced  from  Mr.  Richard  Villa- 
franca's  "Costa  Rica:" 


Distances  from  San  Jose,  the  capital  of  Costa  Rica. 


Towns. 

Distance 
in  miles. 

Character. 

Alajuela    

13 

Rail,  cart  road. 

24 

Cart  road. 

\guacaliente       %           •           ... 

1C 

Tramway,  cart  road. 

6 

Cart  road. 

? 

« 

Boca  de  Toro              ... 

160 

Navigation  from  Limon. 

Bustamante          .           

21 

Saddle  road. 

Boruca       .    .           ...        .        .    . 

1  2O 

ii 

Buenos  Aires    .    .       .           .... 

1  2O 

« 

Buena  Vista     

48 

Cart  road. 

Boca  de  San  Carlos 

12* 

Navigation. 

Boca  del  Rio  Frio  .    
Bebedero  ....   

J32 
132 

147 

« 
Cart  road. 

Belen                                    .    . 

183 

<« 

Chile          ....                      .    . 

18 

ii 

Candelarita  ....           .       ... 

T.Q 

Saddle  road. 

Curridabat    ...        

3 

Railroad,  cart  road. 

Carrillo  

2slA 

Cart  road. 

Cartago     

12 

Railroad,  cart  road. 

Cangrejal  ....           

12* 

Cart  road. 

Chirripo    .... 

42 

Saddle  road. 

Cot     

18 

Cart  road. 

Carrizal     .... 

12 

<« 

Chilamate     .   .           .... 

60 

Saddle  road. 

Desam  parados            .    . 

l 

Cart  road. 

A% 

«                                  • 

Kstero  Grande     

78 

Navigation. 

47 

Cart  road. 

Filadelfia  

177 

«< 

Grecia    ....       .    . 

24 

ii 

Guatuzo     

25^ 

«< 

Guaitil                  .       ...... 

18 

Saddle  road. 

* 

Cart  road. 

6 

Railroad,  cart  road. 

Hacienda  Vieja              .               .    • 

72 

Navigation. 

Juan  Vinas  .    .                  .... 

27 

Railroad,  cart  road. 

L/a  Vibora     

27 

Saddle  road. 

La  Palma  . 

12 

Cart  road. 

86 


Towns. 


Distance 
in  miles. 


Character. 


La  Laguna 15         Cart  road. 

La  Boca  del  Infierno 18               " 

Limon 98       j  Railroad. 

Los  Frailes 18         Saddle  road. 

Las  Graces 18 

La  Laguna  de  Aserri     ......  10 

La  Virgen 54 

Los  Ojos  de  Agua 18       |  Cart  road. 

Los  Angeles 27 

La  Barranca .  25 

La  Cuesta  Vieja 54 

Las  Canas 139 

Liberia 165 

La  Cruz     . 201       j  Saddle  road. 

Muelle  de  San  Carlos !        69 

Muelle  de  Sarapiqui  .- 66 

Nueva  Santa  Maria 60                   " 

Naranjo 33         Cart  road. 

Nicoya 213               " 

Orosi 18               " 

Palmira 180 

Puntarenas 60         Railroad,  cart  road. 

Peie '         60         Cart  road. 

Paraiso i6j^     Railroad,  cart  road. 

Pirris  de  Aserri 30       i  Saddle  road. 

Paquita • 75 

Pacaca 14         Cart  road. 

Rosario 12         Saddle  road. 

Santa  Rosa 220       !  Cart  road. 

Santa  Cruz   . 198 

Santo  Domingo 39               " 

San  Mateo 36 

Salimos 42 

Sarchi 30               " 

Sapotal .27       :  Saddle  road. 

Santiago  de  Puriscal ;         24         Cart  road. 

Sarcero 40^ 

San  Jer6nimo 30 

San  Roque •         27  " 

San  Rafael 19^  ;         " 

Sabanilla  .    .        18                " 

San  Pedro  de  la  Calabaza    ....  18 

San  Ramon 51       i  Saddle  road. 

San  Miguel .  |         42  " 

San  Joaquin -  9        Railroad,  cart  road. 

Santo  Domingo i  3^ 

San  Cristobal 24         Cart  road. 

San  Miguel .        .  27         Saddle  road. 


Towns. 

1   Distance 
1  in  miles. 

Character. 

Sabanilla  de  \serri 

2J. 

Saddle  road 

San  Ignacio  
Santa  Maria     
San  Marcos  .    . 

12 
36 

•JQ 

Cart  road. 

San  Pablo  Dota  
San  Cristobal   
San  Miguel                 .    .    . 

27 

12 

4i/ 

San  Jer6nimo              

A 

San  Isidro     
San  Vicente     
San  Pablo     ... 

6 
3 
3° 

Saddle  road. 

Santa  Ana    .    . 

iVt 

Cart  road. 

Tres  Rios  . 

7 

Railroad,  cart  road. 

Tabarcia 

Cart  road 

Tucurrique       .    . 

l6 

1  1 

Turialba 

-J7 

Railroad   cart  road 

Tanibor             .    .    . 

JCJ 

Cart  road 

Tapezco     
Tempate    

43/2 
213 

26  de  Abril    .... 

Villa  Santa  Barbara 
Villa  Barba  .... 
Varablanca  . 


Zapote 


209 

12 

9 

30 

45 


The  postal  service  is  performed  by  seventy  local  post- 
offices.  Correspondence  is  dispatched  twenty-six  times  per 
month  to  foreign  countries  by  steamers,  and  four  times  per 
month  overland  to  the  neighboring  countries.  From  the  port  of 
Limon  the  mail  goes  to  Europe,  via  Hamburg,  twice  a  month, 
the  1 2th  and  29th;  by  the  Royal  Mail  on  the  Qth  day  of 
each  month;  and  via  Marseilles  on  the  I2th  of  each  month; 
to  Europe  and  the  United  States  via  New  York  every  Friday, 
and  to  Europe,  the  United  States  and  Mexico  via  New  Or- 
leans every  Monday. 

From  the  Port  of  Puntarenas  the  mail  goes  to  the  West 
Indies  and  South  America,  via  Panama,  three  times  a  month, 
and  as  often  also  to  the  States  of  Central  America.  Overland 
to  Nicaragua  the  mail  is  sent,  via  Liberia,  every  Thursday. 
In  the  Gulf  of  Nicoya  are  three  steamers  in  the  postal  service, 


88 


namely  the  "Puntarenas,"  "Fernandez"  and  "Dr.   Castro." 
The  principal  post-offices  in  Costa  Rica  are  these: 


Alajuela, 

Guaitil, 

Nicoya, 

San  Lucas, 

Aserri, 

Guadalupe, 

Old  Harbor, 

San  Marcos, 

Atenas, 

Grecia, 

Pacaca, 

Santa  Ana, 

^arba, 

Heredia, 

Puriscal, 

San  Juan, 

Bagres, 

Humo, 

Puntarenas, 

San  Vicente, 

Ballena, 

Jimenez, 

Palmares, 

San  Ramon, 

Bomca, 

Juan  Vifias, 

Paraiso, 

San  Carlos, 

Bebedero, 

Limon, 

Quemadas, 

Sardinal, 

Cartago, 

Liberia, 

Reventazon, 

Santa  Cruz, 

Carrillo, 

Las  Canas, 

San  Isidro, 

San  Bernardo, 

Curridabat, 

La  Union, 

Santo  Domingo, 

Santa  Maria  Dota, 

Desamparados, 

La  Cruz, 

Santa  Barbara, 

Siquirres, 

Desmonte 

Mojon, 

San  Rafael, 

San  Mateo, 

Escasu, 

Matina, 

San  Antonio, 

San  Joaquin, 

Esparta, 

Naranjo, 

San  Pedro, 

TeVraba. 

In  1896  there  were  received  from 

Pieces. 

Salvador  .  .  .  37,425 
Spain  ....  29,966 
Guatamala  .  .  27,000 
Colombia  .  .  20,063 
The  Antilles  .  13,341 


Pieces. 
The  United  States 

of  America  .  .  189,966 
Great  Britain  .  .  64,763 
Germany  .  .  .  45,900 
France 43,276 


Honduras 
Italy  .  .  . 
Nicaragua 


Pieces. 

10,697 

11,970 

8,835 


France  .... 
Italv 

Pieces. 
22,738    Colombia     .    . 
8j  333    The  Antilles    . 

Pieces. 
H,577 
10,  148 

"".7    

Great  Britain, 
Germany  .  . 
Nicaragua  .  . 

20,425     Honduras    .    . 
17,559    Argentina   .    . 

14,577 

9,159 
6,354 

During  the  same  year  there  were  sent  out  to 

Pieces. 
The  United  States 

of  America  .   .    45,547 
Guatamala  .    .    .    25,020 

Spain 23,230 

Salvador  .    .    .    .    20,194 

The  entire  postal  service  comprised  the  movement  of 
3,494,515  pieces,  23,843  money  orders  and  6919  parcels.  The 
receipts  of  the  postal  department  were  48,318.69  pesos.  On 
postal  money-orders  there  were  paid  358,280.76  pesos. 

There  are  1190  kilometers  (744  miles)  of  telegraph  lines 
connecting  the  following  65  offices: 


Limon, 

Escasu, 

Naranjo, 

Nicoya, 

Matina, 

Santa  Ana, 

San  Carlos, 

Ballena, 

Juan  Vinas, 

Pacaca, 

Zarcera, 

Bols6n, 

Cachi, 

Puriscal, 

San  Ramon, 

Santa  Cruz, 

89 


Paraiso, 

Santo  Domingo, 

Palmares, 

Filadelfia, 

Cartago, 

Heredia, 

Atenas, 

Sardinal, 

La  Union, 

San  Isidro, 

Desmonte, 

Bagaces, 

San  Isidro, 

San  Rafael, 

San  Mateo, 

Liberia, 

San  Vicente, 

Barba, 

Esparta, 

Santa  Rosa, 

Guadalupe, 

Santa  Barbara, 

Puntarenas, 

La  Cruz, 

Curridabat, 

San  Joaquin, 

Quemados, 

Turialba, 

Santa  Maria, 

San  Antonio, 

Guacimal, 

San  Ignacio. 

San  Marcos, 

Alajuela, 

La  Junta, 

Buena  Vista, 

Aserri, 

Sabanilla, 

La  Palma, 

San  Jer6nimo. 

Desamparados, 

San  Pedro, 

Canas 

San  Jose", 

Grecia, 

Bebedero, 

Central, 

Sarchi, 

Colonia  Cubana, 

The  number  of  private  telegrams  dispatched  in  1896  to 
the  interior  was  270,284;  of  official  messages  to  the  interior 
was  69,172;  official  telegrams  transmitted  to  Central  America, 
1086;  private  telegrams  to  Central  America,  6554;  telegrams 
received  from  Central  America,  5413;  cablegrams  received, 
26,762;  cablegrams  transmitted,  2845. 

The  total  receipts  from  the  telegraph  service  amounted 
in  1896  to  183,791.75  pesos,  and  the  rates  are  very  cheap.  The 
nearest  cable  station  is  San  Juan  del  Sur  in  Nicaragua. 

There  are  also  203  miles  of  telephonic  wire  between  San 
Jose  and  other  communities  and  plantations,  with  about  2500 
daily  calls. 


X. 


AGRICULTURE  AND  LIVE  STOCK. 

Agricultural  enterprise  in  Costa  Rica  is  chiefly  devoted 
to  coffee.  The  proper  coffee  zone  lies  between  800  to  1400 
meters  of  elevation  on  both  ocean  slopes.  Experiments  have 
proved  that  the  coffee-tree  can  also  be  successfully  cultivated 
at  a  height  of  600  meters,  and  still  lower  down,  by  moderating 
the  glare  of  the  sun  with  adequate  shades  and  by  pruning  to 
correct  excessive  growth  and  fructification. 

"Coffee  was  introduced  into  the  country  from  Havana  in 
1796  by  Francisco  Javier  Navarro,  as  were  also  the  mango 
and  the  cinnamon.  The  first  seeds  were  s'own  in  Cartago. 
Much  credit  for  the  propagation  of  coffee  culture  in  Costa 
Rica  is  due  to  Padre  Velarde,  under  the  government  of 
Don  Tomas  de  Acosta,  who  took  great  interest  in  agricul- 
ture. 

"During  the  administration  of  Don  Juan  Rafael  Mora 
(1849-1857)  farming  received  a  remarkable  development,  for 
it  was  much  promoted  by  the  construction  of  important  roads. 
The  cultivation  of  coffee  and  sugar  cane  then  absorbed  the  at- 
tention of  the  country  to  such  an  extent  that,  in  1861,  100,000 
quintals  were  exported."  (J.  B.  Calvo's  book  on  Costa  Rica). 

The  census  of  1892  supplies  the  following  figures  con- 
cerning coffee: 

Province  of  San  Jose. 


San  Jose  .  .  . 
Escasu  .... 
Desamparados 
Puriscal  .  .  . 
Aserri  .... 

Mora 

Tarrazu  .  .  . 
Goicoechea 


Total 


Number 
of 

Number    ; 

Crop             Crop 

Value 

planta- 
tions. 

of 
trees. 

in                    in 
quintals.          kilogr. 

in 

pesos. 

1,628 

7,32i,7o8  | 

95,942 

4,413,732 

2,648,239 

297 

913,712  ' 

15,328 

705,088  ; 

450,840 

313 

2,115,123 

28,645 

1,317,6/0 

859,290 

183 

85,701 

254             11,684  i 

7,620 

223 

272,809 

701 

32,246  : 

21,030 

137 

42,312 

191 

8,786  ! 

5,730 

83 

28,121 

112 

S^S2 

3,36o 

89 

302,143 

10,432 

479,872 

167,955 

2,953 

11,081,629 

15I.605 

6,974,230 

4.164,064 

(90) 

Province  of  Alajuela. 


Number 
of 
planta- 
tions. 

Number 
of 
trees. 

Crop 
in 
quintals. 

Crop 
in 
kilogr. 

Value 
in 
pesos. 

Alajuela  
San  Ramon  ...... 
Grecia  
Atenas  
San  Mateo  
Naranjo 

547 
214 

497 
50 

20 

171 

2,247,809 
715,592 
917,201 
110,599 
23,883 
290  820 

26,546 
5,527 
10,997 
1,027 
189 
40  321 

i,  211,116 
254,242 
505,862 
47,242 
8,694 
i  854  766 

796,380 
165,810 
329,910 
30,810 
5,670 
1,209,630 

Palmares 

402 

I  308  689 

22  QO8 

I  OS7  qo8 

689  040 

Total  

1,901 

5,683,602 

107,605 

4.939,830 

3,228,150 

Province  of  Cartago. 


Number 
of 
planta- 
tions 

Number 
of 
trees. 

Crop 
in 
quintals. 

Crop 
in 
kilogr. 

Value 
in 
pesos. 

Cartago  

505 

727  893 

8  529 

392,334 

249,870 

Paraiso  
I/a  Union  

387 

633,995 
'    1,667  809 

4,985 
16,295 

229,310 
749,57° 

M9,55o 
488,850 

Total  .   

983 

3,029,697 

29,809 

1,371,214 

888,270 

Province  of  Heredia. 


Number 
nf 

Number 

Crop 

Crop 

Value 

planta- 
tions. 

of 

trees. 

in 
quintals. 

in 
kilogr. 

in 

pesos. 

Heredia    

i,37i 

3,249,901 

36,893 

1,697,078 

1,106,790 

Barba     

247 

885,891 

11,792 

542,432 

3^1,870 

Santo  Domingo     .... 
Santa  Barbara   

39i 
399 

2,147,824 
496,809 

32,810 

3,201 

1,509,260 
147,246 

984,300 
96,030 

San  Rafael  

121 

335,725 

4,509 

207,414 

135,270 

Total  

2.529 

7,116,150 

89,205 

4,  103,430 

2,674,260 

Altogether  Costa  Rica,  in  1892,  had  8366  coffee-fincas 
with  26,911,078  coffee-ttrees,  and  a  crop  of  378,224  quintals 
or  17,388,704  kilograms,  valued  at  10,954,744  pesos. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  learn  the  amount  of  the  coffee 
crops  since  1883,  given  in  sacks  of  fifty-nine  or  sixty  kilo- 
grams each. 


Sacks. 

Sacks. 

Sacks. 

Sacks. 

1883. 

•  153,379 

1887  . 

.  218,032 

I89I. 

•  235,703 

1895. 

.  184,825 

1884  . 

•  277,158 

1888  . 

.  171,898 

1892  . 

.  179,970 

1896. 

•  195,263 

1885. 

•  157,515 

l889  . 

•  215,793 

1893  . 

-  190,700 

I897. 

•  227,582 

1886. 

.  150,618 

1890  . 

•  256,576 

1894. 

•  179,613 

92 

Another  important  agricultural  product  of  Costa  Rica 
is  the  banana.  Its  cultivation  was  begun  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  in  1879,  anc^  the  ^rst  3°°  bunches  were  shipped,  Febru- 
ary 7,  1880,  by  steamer  "Earnholm"  from  Port  Limon  to  New 
York. 

In  1884  there  were  350  farms,  comprising  over  four 
thousand  acres  of  land,  containing  570,000  banana  plants, 
from  which,  in  that  year,  420,000  bunches  were  obtained. 
Before  1879  banana  plants  were  set  out  in  coffee  plantations 
to  shade  the  young  trees  and  shelter  their  berries.  The 
bananas  were  used  to  feed  pigs.  The  laboring  classes  kept  a 
few  plants,  using  the  fruit  boiled  with  salt,  or  roasted  on  hot 
coals  instead  of  bread. 

The  following  table  shows  the  banana  export  figures 
since  1883: 

Bundles. 

1883 110,801 

1884  . 420,000 

1885 401,183 

1886 595,970 

1887 889,517 

1888 854,588 

1889 990,898 

1890 1,034,765 


Tons. 

3,693 
14,000 

13,373 
19,866 

29,651 
28,486 
33,030 
34,492 
37,791 
39,294 
42,621 

45,833 
52,861 
56,400 

Sugar  cane  is  used  largely  in  Costa  Rica  as  fodder  and 
in  the  manufacture  of  aguardiente;  also  to  produce  the  raw 
sugar  or  dulce,  which  is  consumed  entirely  by  country  people. 

In  1889  sugar  cane  by  provinces  was  raised  on  the  fol- 
lowing number  of  acres: 

In  San  Jose  on  4819  acres;  in  Alajuela  on  5076  acres; 
in  Cartago  on  1466  acres;  in  Heredia  on  1114  acres;  in  Guana- 
caste  on  719  acres;  in  Puntarenas  on  1471,  and  in  Limon  on 
122  acres.  The  aggregates  were  14,787  acres,  and  a  produc- 
tion of  1,368,000  pounds  of  sugar  and  18,454,000  pounds  of 
dulce. 


1892  .  . 

,  *OO»/  *•  1 

178  812 

180-*  .                      .  • 

,278,647 

1804 

.774,086 

iSos;  . 

,585,817 

1806. 

.602.102 

93 

Cacao  culture  has  received  but  little  attention  in  Costa 
Rica,  because  the  more  profitable  coffee  plantations  absorb 
all  the  time  and  capital.  The  number  of  plantations  regularly 
established  up  to  1888  was  198,  having  in  all  56,426  trees  that 
yielded  in  the  same  year  331,900  pounds  valued  at  165,770 
pesos.  Most  of  the  cacao  was  cultivated  in  Aserri,  Atenas, 
Naranjo,  Heredia,  Paraiso,  Guanacaste  and  Limon. 

Cacao  was  exported  from  1884  to  1889  as  follows: 


Years.  Pounds.  Value  in  Dollars. 

1884 9,927  3,227 

1885 .     • 16,271  4,084 

1886 5,776  2,223 

1887 •  10,906  4,708 

1888 18,410  3,576 

1889 28,830  12,386 

Total 90,120          30,204 

Excellent  cacao  was  grown  during  Spanish  colonial  days 
around  Matina,  but  none  is  exported  now. 

With  respect  to  wheat,  up  to  1860  there  was  sufficient 
for  the  consumption  of  the  country.  It  was  so  intelligently 
cultivated  that  the  finer  grades  were  produced.  The  rise  In 
the  price  of  coffee  and  the  competition  with  the  flour  of  the 
United  States  and  Chile  drove  out  the  native  wheat  almost 
entirely,  and  to-day  the  cultivation  of  this  grain  is  badly 
neglected.  To-day  the  only  flour-mill  in  this  country  grinds 
imported  wheat. 

Tobacco  was  a  monopoly  for  many  years,  and  only  re- 
cently has  the  culture  been  taken  up  by  the  people. 

Other  important  agricultural  products  are  rice,  beans, 
corn  and  potatoes. 

The  cultivation  of  rice  in  Costa  Rica  demands  very  little 
care  and  no  irrigation  to  produce  two  crops  a  year  of  a  very 
superior  quality.  Beans  and  corn  are  successfully  grown 
everywhere  in  the  country,  while  the  raising  of  potatoes  is 
almost  wholly  confined  to  the  hillsides  of  Cartago  and  Ala- 
juela,  where  they  acquire  an  'extremely  fine  quality. 

According  to  the  census  of    1892,  the    average    annual 


94 


production  of  these  crops  for 
years  was  in  liters  as  follows : 


that    and    the  two  preceding 


Corn. 

Beans.            Rice. 

Potatoes. 

San  Jos£  
Alajuela 

......        8,394,527 
6  898  549 

1,842,527           236,543 

QQQ  6S2                86?  S28 

7,9J5 

Cartage  
Heredia 

7,874-642 

IJ24,628                    ... 
132  842 

1,745,7-25 

Guanacaste  
Puntarenas  
L,imon  

i      1,862,598 
392,721 
|           18,525 

92,321                 131,342 
21,325                 132,845 
2,822                    .     . 

Total  

......       28,391,254 

4,8l6,II7    1         1,358,258 

1,753,640 

Important  agricultural  districts  are,  besides  the  Central 
Highlands  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  kilometers  in  length 
by  sixty  kilometers  in  width,  the  great  valleys  of  Talamanca, 
Santa  Clara,  Tortuguero,  San  Carlos  and  Rio  Frio.  Along 
the  Pacific  the  great  valley  of  Terraba  and  the  plains  of  Golfo 
Duke  and  Guanacaste  are  fertile  regions,  which,  if  properly 
tilled,  would  offer  advantages  equal  to  the  Central  Highlands, 
where  nearly  the  entire  population  of  Costa  Rica  is  concen- 
trated. 

Plants  characterizing  fertile  lands,  rich  in  humus,  on  the 
Atlantic  slope,  are  Piper,  especially  that  with  large  leaves, 
Loasece,  and  certain  Acanthaceoe.  On  the  Pacific  side  such 
characteristic  plants  are  Piper,  with  smaller  leaves,  the  Pacaya 
Palm,  and  some  ferns.  Especially  are  the  Aspidium  and 
Poly  podium  found  in  large  quantities. 

Considering  the  future  of  Costa  Rica,  the  question. of 
farm  labor  is  of  vital  importance  There  are  only  a  few  In- 
dians, and  they  are  rapidly  decreasing.  It  looks  as  though 
the  fertile  lowlands  on  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  sides,  as  well 
as  those  in  the  extensive  and  fruitful  San  Ju'an  valley,  must  be 
turned  over  to  the  Negro  race  as  the  only  one  capable  of  en- 
during so  inhospitable  a  climate.  These  regions  are  the 
richest  of  all  and  could  sustain  a  large  population. 

The  live-stock  of  Costa  Rica,  though  in  general  superior 
to  that  of  the  rest  of  Central  America,  is  not  yet  sufficiently 
large  to  supply  the  local  demand.  Although  there  has  been 
recent  improvement  in  breeding  cattle  and  horses,  yet  the  high 
grade  animals,  which  could  be  easily  introduced  into  a 


95 

country  of  so  many  natural  advantages,  are  still  lacking.  At 
different  times  the  development  of  this  industry  has  been  at- 
tempted. Costa  Rica  has  vast  pasture  lands  splendidly 
adapted  to  cattle.  It  has  very  nutritious  forage  plants,  like 
arrocillo,  cola  de  venado,  zacate  de  guinea,  zacate  de  castilla, 
zacate  para,  zacate  ancho,  grama,  guate,  cana  de  azucar, 
gamalote,  sabanilla,  teosinte,  lengua  de  vaca,  guacimo,  jen- 
gibrillo,  platanillo,  etc. 

The  live-stock  of  Costa  Rica  in  1892  was  distributed  as 
follows: 

Cattle.  Horses.  Sheep. 

San  Jose 51,884  17,542  1,538 

Alajuela 62,410  16,774  159 

Cartago    ......    48,555  9,900  715 

Heredia   ......    35,391  6,380  57 

Guanacaste     ....  134,567  24,458  296 

Puntarenas     ....      9,667  1,721 

Limon 11  268 


Total 


The  consumption  of  cattle  in  Costa  Rica  is  exhibited  by 
the  following  data: 

First  half  of 
1894.  1895.  1896.  1897. 

San  Jose 12,851  12,824  13,467  6,942 

Alajuela 7,402  7,184  7,180  3,493 

Cartago 5,207  4,881  5,297  2,506 

Heredia 4,864  4,942  4,249  2,438 

Guanacaste     ....    2,701  i,99°  1,928  882 

Puntarenas      ....    1,472  1,471  1,302  770 

Limon 804  789  798  488 

Total 35,301  34,o8i  34,221  17,519 

Further  official  reports  disclose  that  in  the  capital  the 
consumption  of  meat  is  quite  uniform  during  the  entire  year, 
while  in  the  country  it  is  greater  from  August  to  January 
than  from  February  to  July. 

The  total  value  of  the  natural,  agricultural  and  live  stock 
products  of  the  country  has  been  calculated  at  19,000,000 
pesos. 


COMMERCE  AND  INDUSTRY. 

Joaquin  Bernardo  Calvo,  in  his  work  on  Costa  Rica  pub- 
lished in  1890,  observes  that  "at  the  'beginning  of  the  Colonial 
Government  the  Port  of  Suerre,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  had 
some  commercial  importance,  but  that  the  Port  of  Rivera 
on  the  west  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  Nicoya  was  greater,  as  were 
also  Coronado  del  Norte  on  the  Island  of  Cano  and  the  Golfo 
de  Ossa,  now  Golfo  Duke. 

"All  the  ships  then  plying  on  the  Pacific  between  Mexico 
Panama,  Peru  and  intermediate'  ports  were  wont  to  ride  at 
anchor  at  the  Island  of  Cano.  The  most  important  centre  of 
commerce  in  those  times  was  the  City  of  Santiago  de  Tala- 
manca,  now  extinct,  whence  cargoes  were  sent  in  three  days' 
time  to  Porto  B'ello.  The  exports  of  that  age  were  cacao, 
potatoes,  honey,  wax,  sarsaparilla  and  hemp.  When  the  city 
was  destroyed  its  traffic  was  dispersed. 

"In  1638  the  opening  of  the  Matina  road  was  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  era.  The  cacao  haciendas  in  the  valley  of  that 
name  acquired  a  new  importance.  At  the  same  time  itfhe  Gulf 
of  Nicoya  became  a  centre  of  traffic.  Costa  Rica  was  then 
in  a  flourishing  condition  and  would  have  prospered  finely 
but  for  the  pirates  and  Mosquito  Indians,  who  constantly 
menaced  its  welfare  and  whose  vandalism  ravaged  the  coast 
settlements. 

"After  that  period  Costa  Rica  was  reduced  to  woeful 
misery,  carrying  on  an  insignificant  commerce  overland  with 
Panama  by  mules  and  sending  a  few  unimportant  articles  to 
Nicaragua.  Thus  more  than  a  century  passed. 

"In  the  present  century  (1813)  the  Captaincy  General  im- 
posed severe  restrictions  on  the  commerce  of  the  Province. 

(96) 


97 

At  the  time  of  declaring  independence  the  situation  of  Costa 
Rica  was  wretched. 

"Just  beginning  an  independent  career,  struggling  to  in- 
augurate a  system  of  government  wholly  new  and  opposed  to 
the  preceding  one,  contending  with  poverty,  in  a  state  of  com- 
plete upheaval,  the  work  undertaken  by  the  forefathers  of 
the  present  Costa  Ricans  was  full  of  difficulties. 

"Coffee  culture  gave  a  new  impulse  and  importance  to 
Costa  Rica.  At  the  ck>se  of  the  first  half  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century  commerce  was  carried  on  with  the  north  through 
Matina  and  Sarapiqui,  and  through  Caldera  on  the  Pacific. 

"The  greater  facilities  available  on  the  Pacific  coast,  how- 
ever, especially  when  a  line  of  steamers  connecting  with  the 
Panama  Railroad  opened  a  new  way  to  the  Atlantic,  turned 
the  course  of  'business  to  Puntarenas,  a  new  port  which  soon 
became  the  sole  commercial  route. 

"This  state  of  things,  unnecessarily  adding  to  the  ex- 
pense of  importations,  continued  for  years.  When  the  Port 
of  Limon  was  opened  to  commerce  the  competition  of  two 
routes  and  the  new  facilities  of  a  railroad  and  a  wagon  road 
to  the  Atlantic  greatly  promoted  traffic  and  contributed  to 
the  general  wealth." 

In  1848  seventy  vessels  entered  Puntarenas,  having  a 
registration  of  7180  tons.  In  1884  this  number  had  increased 
to  113,  having  137,368  tons  registration,  and  in  the  same 
year  there  entered  Port  Limon.  121  vessels  of  126,875  aggre- 
gate tonnage.  In  1894  there  entered  158  vessels  with  155,869 
tons  at  Puntarenas,  and  294  vessels  with  348,355  tons  at  Port 
Limon.  The  freight  in  1858  on  coffee  to  Panama  by  steamer 
alone  was  five-eighths  of  a  cent  per  pound.  In  1870  the  West 
India  and  Pacific  Company's  steamers  received  as  freights 
from  Puntarenas  to  Liverpool,  £5  IDS.  od.  per  ton;  from 
Puntarenas  to  London,  £6  2s.  6d.  per  ton. 

In  1888  freights  from  Puntarenas  to  European  ports 
were  £4  per  ton,  and  from  Port  Limon  £2.  To-day  the  freight 
rates  are  cheaper  still. 

The  present  tariff  is  in  many  ways  inequitable.  It  is 
based  on  no  principle,  and,  with  the  exception  of  some  later 
laws  especially  enacted,  it  does  not  correspond  with  th«* 


economic  condition  and  commerce  of  the  country.  Yet  on  a 
great  number  of  articles  the  tariff  is  less  than  in  Mexico, 
Guatemala,  Salvador,  Peru,  Bolivia  and  Uruguay. 

The  custom-duties  are  collected  on  gross  weight,  and 
generally  amount  to  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  on 
the  valuation  of  imports.  They  are  paid  one-half  down  and 
one-half  within  three  months'  time.  All  goods  for  Costa  Rica 
have  to  come  accompanied  by  corresponding  consular  in- 
voices. The  principal  importations  are  silk,  wool,  linen,  cot- 
ton, machinery,  implements  and  tools  for  agriculture  and 
other  industries,  furniture,  glassware,  tinware,  hardware  and 
haberdashery,  ornaments,  articles  of  luxury,  mercury  and  per- 
fumery, beer,  wines,  liquors,  soap,  coffee-sacks,  flour,  sugar, 
shoes,  saddles,  harnesses,  butter,  etc. 

Table  of  Exports  and  Imports  of  Costa  Rica  Since  1884. 

Expectations.  Importations. 

1884 $3,745,400  gold.  13,521,900  gold. 

1885 2,535,500  "  3,660,900   " 

1886 2,257,600   "  3,537,600   " 

1887 4,689,100   "  5,601,200   " 

1888 4,052,300  "  5,201,900   " 

1889 4,6l2,8oo   "  6,306,400   " 

1890 6,664,700   <(  6,615,400   " 

1891 .    .  6,Il6,8t»0   "  8,351,000   " 

1892  . 4,725,900   "  5,389,700   " 

1893 4,294,200  '  5,849,500 

'894 {*X*3  silver.    4,o94,853  " 

1895  (    5,922,204  gold.  3,851,460     " 

'  V  14,509,440  silver. 

1896 5,597,727  gold.  4,748,818     " 

Imports  and  Exports  by  Countries. 

1892. 

Imports  in  gold.  Exports  in  silver. 

Great  Britain $1,702,145  $4,916,287 

Germany 947,647  386,737 

France .       526,382  70,004 

Spain 189,623 

Italy 32,412 

Belgium .  7,280 

United  States 1,295,682  3,642,896 

Mexico 18,725  — 


99 

Colombia $82,326 

125,416 

3,890 

123,921 

81,609 
252,691 


Ecuador  .    .    .    . 

Peru 

Cuba  .... 
Jamaica  .... 
Central  America 


$20,912 

800 
502 


75,8io 


1893- 


Great  Britain  . 
Germany  .  .  . 
France  .... 

Spain 

Italy 

United  States  . 
Mexico  .... 
Colombia  .  .  . 
Ecuador  .  .  . 

Cuba 

Jamaica  .... 
Central  America 


Imports  in  gold. 

•  $1,697,944 
.   1,123,836 

807,761 

192,026 

39,829 

•  1,399,615 

",993 
228,036 

94,387 
40,023 

25,939 
143,437 


Total 15,804,926 


1894. 


Great  Britain    .    .        
Germany   ..... 
France                .   .    . 

Imports  in  gold. 
$907,462 
•         566,367 
223,479 
103,  276 
40,215 
940,640 
32,138 
36,917 

Spain  (Cuba)    
Italy    ...               ... 

United  States    
Colombia   
Ecuador 

Commodities  Im 

General  merchandise     
Merchandise  not  dutiable    .    .    . 
Coined  money  
Silver  bars    
Animals                . 

ported  in  1894. 

Gold. 

$2,857,580  56 
944,835  09 
4,183  46 
89,018  37 
30,929  84 
91,041  52 
15,911  27 
6,352  45 
5,000  oo 
50,000  oo 

Pesos. 
7,062,224  60 

2,335,065  44 
10,339  oo 

220,000  00 

76,440  oo 
225,000  oo 

39,323    12 

'5,699  45 
123,570  oo 
I23,57o  oo 

Animals  coming  overland    .    .    . 

Passensrers'  baETfiracre 

Merchandise  from  custom  houses 
Merchandise  by  post  

Total  . 

.  S4.0Q4.8.S2    56 

10.120.018  61 

100 
Total  Exports  for  1894. 

Gold.  Pesos. 

Coffee                       14,198,252  08  10,375,560  19 

Bananas 443,3*5  37  1,095,609  60 

Coined  money 58,611  78  144,852  95 

Gold,  not  coined 23,500  oo  58,078  10 

Woods i44,584  66  357,326  53 

Various  products .        115,231  68  284,783  58 

Unspecified  products 69,617  57  172,052  86 


Total .    .$5,053,113  14         12,488,263  81 

1895. 
Imports  by  Countries. 

Gold. 
Great  Britain $851,849 

Germany 684,118 

France 261,534 

Spain  (Cuba) .  223,441 

Italy 33,o88 

Belgium .    .  5,978 

United  States 1,179,546 

Central  America    . .    .  263 

South  America 65,633 

1896. 

Gold. 

Great  Britain $1,264,856  33 

Germany        ...        .    .  893,816  66 

France 378,906  35 

Spain  (Cuba)     ...  .    .  162,825  54 

Italy 71,769  52 

Belgium .    .  3,089  48 

Denmark .  103  05 

Portugal 24  oo 

United  States .    .  1,401,074  25 

Central  Americ .  .    .  813  75 

Colombia    ...  16,951  48 

Ecuador 38,385  27 

Peru    ....  15,791  35 

Commodities  Imported  in  1896. 

Gold. 

Merchandise  entered  at  custom  houses  ....  $4,226,925  05 

Merchandise  sent  by  post .    .  61,622  93 

Baggage  of  marine  passengers          6,095  84 

Baggage  of  overland  passengers      5,000  oo 

Woods 21,481  98 

Animals .    .  423,069  23 

Coined  money    ... 4,623  59. 


Total $4,748,818  62 


101 

Total  Exports  for  1896. 

Gold. 

Coffee,  11,089,523  kgs.,  valued  at $4,318,285  90 

Bananas,  1,692,102  bunches,  valued  at    ....       670,072  40 

Woods,  valued  at 485,695  35 

Coined  and  other  metal,  valued  at 29»459  50 

Re-exports  and  provisions,  valued  at  .    .    .        .          11,32859 
Various  commodities 82,885  27 


Total $5,597,727  or 

Imports  by  Countries  for  First  Half  of  1897. 

Gold. 

Great  Britain $518,833  37 

'Germany 357,652  02 

France 167,303  77 

Spain 55,154  48 

Cuba.    ... .  20,543  78 

Italy 83,070  50 

Belgium 4,893  50 

United  States  . 871,646  91 

South  America 94,57*  9° 

:Santo  Tomas 445  oo 

Nicaragua 10,739  90 

Guatemala 288  06 

Salvador 21,334  50 

Postal  packages 44,999  30 

Merchandise  in  passengers  goods     ......  x>493  4° 

$2,252,970  39 
Additional  for  3816  animals,  valued  at    ....         74,743  60 

Total $2,327,713  99 

The  following  list,  which  I  owe  to  the  amiability  of  the 
highly  competent  Director  General  of  the  National  Depart- 
ment of  Statistics,  Hon.  Manuel  Aragon,  shows  the  principal 
articles  of  import  and  their  value  in  gold  pesos  by  countries 
since  1893: 


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104 

Among  other  countries  Spain,  including  Cuba,  imported 
in  1893,  alcohol  ($26,346),  cigarettes  ($11,418),  cognac 
($8976),  liquors  ($14,719),  cotton  cloth  ($19,416),  and  wines 
($126,417);  in  1894,  alcohol  ($15,500),  cigarettes  ($7753), 
wines  ($30,436);  in  1895,  alcohol  ($81,000),  cigarettes 
($10,800),  tobacco  ($6288),  wines  ($46,957). 

Colombia  imported  in  1893,  alcohol  ($7783),  cacao 
($4229),  cattle  ($115,847);  in  1894,  cacao  ($9710);  in  1895, 
cacao  ($11,720),  tobacco  ($6959). 

Italy  imported  in  1893,  marble  ($4623),  wines  ($14,791); 
in  1894,  wine  ($3491);  in  1895,  butter  ($2209),  hats  ($1240), 
cotton  cloth  ($1568),  and  wines  ($6933). 

Central  America  imported  in  1893,  tobacco  ($112,418), 
sugar  ($9895),  cacao  ($2846),  maize  ($6891),  'butter  ($2893), 
cigars  ($7626). 

The  exportation  during  the  first  sir  months  of  1897  was  as 
follows: 


Total  value. 

Port  of  lyimon. 

Port  of  Puntarenas. 

Kilos. 

Value. 

Kilos. 

Value. 

Coffee,  in  pargement  . 
Coffee,  in  oro  
Bananas  

Cedar  wood  
Mora  wood 

Gold. 

$538,462    20 
4,127,698  05 
225,207   5O 

Silver. 
525,042  09 
67,831  16 
4i,443  59 
13,961  95 
7,200  oo 
6,117  17 
5,977  59 
2,898  15 
2,809  96 
i,59°  14 
1,487  oo 
1,679  oo 
1,767  oo 
700  oo 
640  67 
606  04 
377  15 
M3  75 

223   02 

68  oo 
374  32 
350  oo 
200  oo 
150  oo 

1,794,874 
10,139,879 
27,400,966 

$538,462   20 
3,548,957   65 
225,267  50 

1.653,544 

656,451 
3,322,435 

7,945 
2,194 

$578,740  40 

525,042  09 
67,831  16 
3,777  79 
2,866  20 

'  :  :  : 

Hides  
Rubber 

125,397 
7,587 

12 

6 

49 
1,294 

597 
1,846 

1,350 

175 
468 

2,000 
16 

37,665  so 

".095  75 
7,200  oo 

6,117  17 

60  oo 

1,548  40 

112  00 

1,487  co 
1,767  oo 

52  oo 

360  90 

Gold,  in  bars  
Gold  coined 

6,557 
659 
138,000 

n,535 

5,917  59 
1,349  75 
2,809  96 
1,478  14 

Skins 

Cacao  . 

Guaygacum  wood    . 
Potatoes    .... 

Plants,  alive  
Blue  thread  
Hule  or  rubber  .... 
Soa*p  
Cocobola  wood  .... 
Dulce  (mas  cabado)  . 
Zarzaparrilla  .... 
Cedron  

134 

33,'565 
29 
264 
732 
70 
in 
2,241 

1,679  co 

700  oo 
640  67 
554  04 
1  6  25 
M3  75 

223   02 

68  oo 
374  32 
478  oo 

Sugar  
Pita-hats  
Caoba  (mahogany) 
Pearl  shell  
Turtles,  alive  
Turtle  shell  (carey)    . 

20O   OO 

150  oo 

Total  

$5,201,066  58 

39,491,033 

$4,348,123 

5,231,835  i   $853,843  27 

In  regard  to  coffee  there  were  exported  from  October  i, 
1896,  to  June  30,   1897,  231,904  sacks  (13,843,088  kilos),  of 


105 


which  84.67  per  cent.,  or  196,343  sacks,  in  oro,  and  15.33  per 
cent.,  or  35,561  sacks,  in  pargement.  From  this  amount  87.93 
per  cent.,  or  203,913  sacks  (12,184,027  kilos),  went  through 
Port  Limon  and  12.07  per  cent.,  or  27,991  sacks  (1,659,061 
kilos),  through  Puntarenas. 

From  Limon  61,329  per  cent,  was  transported  by  the 
Atlas  Line,  32.300  per  cent,  by  the  British  Royal  Mail,  2.271 
per  cent,  by  the  French  Steamship  line,  3.299  per  cent,  by 
the  German  Line,  0.80 1  per  cent,  by  other  lines. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  know  the  places  to  which  this 
large  amount  of  coffee  is  shipped.  These  particulars  are 
found  in  the  following  list : 

Sacks.  Kilogr. 

London  ....                   I33»676  7,9°3,45o 

San  Francisco       19,946                1,183,980 

New  York :    .        ...  33,887                2,072,289 

Hamburg .    .  24,833                1,502,311 

Bordeaux .  5,827                   346,822 

Paris 206                     12,524 

Bremen 12,373     1 

Montreal 37 

Antwerp 310 

Lockport i 

Chicago  .    .           i 

Malaga i                   821,712 

Geneva 439 

Trieste 254 

Valparaiso  . 50 

Panama 62 

Barcelona i 

Total 231,904  13,843,008 

In  connection  with  the  coffee  trade  there  are  here  given 
interesting  statistics  concerning  the  average  annual  consump- 
tion of  coffee  per  capita  of  the  population  of  different  coun- 
tries : 

Pounds.  Pounds.  Pounds. 

Holland     .    .    .  21.00  United  States .    .  7.61  Greece    .    .    .  1.24 

Denmark  .    .    .  13.89  Sweden     .    .    .    .6.11  Italy   ....  i.oo 

Belgium     .    .    .1348  Germany     .    .      3.94  Great  Britain,  i.oo 

Norway.    .    .    .    9.80  France     .    .        .2.73  European 

Switzerland   .    .    7.03  Austria     ....  2.13  Russia     .    .0.19 

Industries. — The  scarcity  of  working  people  and  the  ab- 
sence of  capital  were  formerly  the  greatest  barriers  to  the 


1 06 


progress  of  industry,  while  at  the  same  time  the  abundance 
and  relative  cheapness  of  imported  articles  rendered  useless 
all  attempts  at  home  production. 

In  regard  to    industrial    and    manufacturing  establish- 
ments and  workshops,  there  were  in  1892: 

842  in  the  Province  of  San  Jose. 


700 

193 
272 

187 
89 

20 


Alajuela. 

Cartago. 

"  Heredia. 

' '  Guanacaste. 

Comarca  de  Puntarenas. 
"  Limon. 


2303 

Distribution    of   industrial 
lishments  in  Costa  Rica. 


and  manufacturing   esta1}- 


I 
1 

Alajuela. 

Cartago. 

Heredia. 

Guanacaste. 
Puntarenas. 

Limon. 

Total. 

Iron  foundries  •  .    .           2 

i 

Blacksmith-shops    25 
Gunsmith-shops    

ii 

i 

5 

7 

9            o 

I                 2 

2 

68 

y 

Flour-mills  ! 

Soap  factories    .              5 

. 

i 

i 

7 

Breweries    3 

Ice  factories    ; 

"    j 

Distilleries 

Brick  and  tile  factories  22 

29 

•^4 

4 

"18     '    "'•> 

" 

Fine  brick-yards  2 

Lime-kilns            .   .              ...                  7 

.   .   . 

.    .    . 

.    .    . 



2 

Cartridge  factories  ! 

34 
i 

Sugar  factories  i 

6 

2 

Sawmills  16 
Coffee-mills           .             .                         go 

35 

ifi 

6 

0- 

4            i 

3 

74 

Iron  sugar-mills  205 
Wooden  sugar-mills                                   248 

154 

32 

46 

10               2 

8?                T7 

250 
449 

Marble  yards  i 

21 

.    .    . 

639 

Stone-cutting  yards    i 

i 

I 

•3 

Carpenter-shops  31 
Cabinet-shops    5 
Tailor-shops  25 
Tanneries    9 

28 

13 

5 

8 
3 

10 

3 

37 

i 

17 

19                15 

.     .     .    !             2 

14            7 
16     ... 

3 

3 
i 

141 

89- 
39 

Shoemaker-shops  38 
Barber-shops  ...          \-j 
Saddleries    n 

17 

9 
3 
5 

12 
I 

12               8 

4           6 

4  | 

3 

2 

103 
53 
29. 

Bakeries  22 

P_ 

2                7 

Confectioners    ^ 

j 

I 

7 

7 

Drug  stores                                                     is 

16 

g 

!  * 

,-0 

Dyeing  establishments    5 
Photograph  galleries  
Printing  establishments  9 

2 

i  !       i 

14 
3 

10' 

Lithographers                                       ;     '  i 

Book  binderies  4 

4 

Watchmakers    7 

3 

Silversmiths  ;   .  .       .   .          4 

2 

22 

Candle  factories    s 

Total  S42 

700 

-,„ 

272 

207    89 

20 

2323 

icy 

There  are  in  San  Jose  the  San  Jose  Foundry  and  the 
National  Workshop,  which  contributed  greatly  to  the  prog- 
ress of  mechanical  arts,  iron  manufactures,  cabinet  work, 
machinery,  implements,  farming  utensils,  tools,  etc. 

There  also  exist  a  silk  and  cotton  factory,  manufacturing 
fine  articles  like  shawls,  scarfs,  wraps,  in  the  favorite  colors 
of  the  people;  also  an  ice  factory,  a  shoe  factory  and  a  flour- 
mill. 

Among  the  miscellaneous  companies  we  have  to  mention 
the  Agency  Company  for  unloading  and  loading  vessels,  cap- 
ital 200,000  pesos;  San  Jose  Market  Company,  capital  215,000 
pesos;  Cartago  Market  Company,  capital  100,000  pesos; 
Heredia  Market  Company,  capital  100,000  pesos;  Monte  de 
Aguacate  Mining  Company,  capital  500,000  pesos;  La  Trini- 
dad Mining  Company,  capital  250,000  pesos;  Costa  Rica 
House  Construction  Company,  capital  250,000  pesos;  Costa 
Rica  Pacific  Gold  Mining  Company,  Limited;  Electric  Light 
Company. 


XII. 


FINANCE  AND  BANKING. 

The  revenue  of  the  Government  of  Costa  Rica  is 
•derived  from  custom-house  duties,  revenue  stamps  and 
stamped  paper,  liquor  monopoly,  tobacco  revenue,  cof- 
fee tax,  sale  of  public  lands,  tax  for  registering  property, 
tax  on  slaughtering  live  stock,  etc. 

The  national  revenue  for  1896  was  as  follows: 

Pesos. 
Revenues  proper 6,685,17887 

Public  service  (post,  etc. ) 233,52989 

Various  sources 89,079  14 

Funds  in  administration  (postal-money  orders, 

etc.) 395,10488 

Public  credit 32,71800 


Total 7,435,6io  78 

To  this  sum 

Pesos. 

The  main  custom  house  in  San  Jose  contributed  1,930,746  58 

The  custom  house  in  Puntarenas  474, 148  27 

Limon  404,444  25 

"     national  liquor  business  2,2^2,17496 

Tobacco  revenue 778,21175 

Coffee  tax ,£61,415  oo 

Lumber  tax 15,044  26 

Stamped  paper 70,164  30 

Revenue  stamps 39,469  38 

Expenditures  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  in   il 
amounted  to  6,697,326.51  pesos,  distributed  in  the  follow- 
ing manner: 

Ordinary  Disbursements  for  Administration. 

Pesos. 
Department  of  Gobernacion 666,429  55 

Police 163,051  84 

Fomento 628,350  98 

Foreign  Office     .    .  ....  101,17074 

Justice 274,568  83 

Public  Instruction 630,627  41 

CioS) 


log 

Pesos. 

Department  of  Cultus 24,10100 

War ......     432,94309 

Military  police 235,15256 

Navy 47,559  5i 

Finance 297,414  62 

Various  services 1,229,82386 

4,731,19399' 
Various  Services. 


Department  of  Beneficence 101,213  44 

Various  other  services 115,90461 

217,11805 

Monopoly  Services. 

Pesos. 

Buying  tobacco,  sugar,  etc.,  freights 277,12634 

Contract  of  Odilon  Jimenez 18,37252 

Contract  of  Robato  &  Beguiristain 1,84053 

297,33939 
Funds  in  Administration. 

Pesos. 

Billets  of  Instruction 19,883  97 

Postal  orders 347,53°  81 


367,414  78 
Interior  Debt. 

Pesos. 

Bills  payable 475,495  55 

Interest  and  discounts ....  15,991  15 

Private  deposits 39,558  oo 

Amortization  of  national  notes .    .  340,888  52 

Hospital  of  Alajuela 14,21553 

Bank  of  Costa  Rica,  contract  of  June  20,  1894  *  .  135,068  82 

Deposits  in  favor  of  pupils  of  Barroeta 6,558  06 

1,027,7/5  63 
Consolidates. 

Pesos. 

Hospital  of  San  Juan  de  Dios 13,640  oo 

Ecclesiastical  funds 6,337  50 

Legate  of  Barroeta 15,300  oo 

Hospital  of  Cartago 9,638  oo 

44,915  50 
Various  Accounts. 

Pesos. 

Flint  &  Co 4,684  67 

Municipality  of  Cartago,  notes  and  interest  ....    6,884  5° 

11,56917 


Total 6,697,326  51 


no 

The  foreign  debt  contracted  in  1871  and  1872,  in  Eng- 
land, against  the  will  of  the  nation,  has  been  disastrous  to 
it.  It  amounts  to  £2,000,000  in  five  per  cent,  debentures. 
Lately  an  arrangement  was  made  under  which  the 
amortization  of  this  debt  will  begin  in  1917,  instead  of 
1898,  and  with  £10,000  per  year,  instead  of  £20,000.  The 
government  is  also  authorized  to  buy  in  its  own  bonds  for 
their  immediate  liquidation. 

The  floating  debt  chiefly  consists  of  private  deposits, 
of  the  school-loan,  amortization  of  which  is  made  an- 
nually, of  paper  money  which  is  received  in  very  lim- 
ited amounts,  and  of  bills  payable,  mostly  given  for  sugar 
and  syrups  to  the  "National  Liquor  Distillery"  and 
drawn  on  thirty  days'  sight.  The  rest  of  the  floating  debt 
scarcely  amounts  to  50,000  pesos. 

In  figures  the  interior  debt  of  Costa  Rica  may  be 
represented  as  follows:  79,155-75  pesos  in  notes  of  war 
emission;  1,037,628.43  pesos  for  various  accounts,  private 
deposits,  cash  orders,  municipal  fund,  ecclesiastical  fund, 
etc.,  making  a  total  of  1,116,784.18  pesos. 

Another  important  factor  in  the  commercial  and 
economic  life  of  Costa  Rica  is  the  money  in  circulation. 
Including  every  kind  of  emission,  notes  of  the  Costa  Rica 
bank,  national  paper  money,  war-emission  paper  money, 
silver  and  gold  coin,  the  money  in  circulation  amounted  in 

Pesos.  Pesos. 

1882-83  ....  4,395>089  1889-90  ....  5,633,512 

1883-84  ....  4,129,518  1890-91  ....  5,941,947 

1884-85  ....  3,707,434  1891-92  ....  5,806,752 

1885-86  ....  3,619,261  1892-93  ....  5,630,416 

1886-87  .    .     •       3,899,975  1893-94  ....  5,507,343 

1887-88  ....  4,210,733  1894-95  ....  5,666,207 

1888-89.    .    .    .4,762,885  1895-96.    .    -    .5,721,837 

There  were  in  circulation,  in  1895-96,  currency  valued 
in  pesos  as  follows:  3,820,404  of  Costa  Rica  bank  notes. 
2764  national  paper  money,  98,669  war-emission  paper 
money,  1,500,000  coined  silver  money,  300,000  coined 
gold  money,  total  5,721,837;  or  20.08  pesos  per  capita  of 
the  population  of  Costa  Rica. 


Ill 


As  above  indicated,  the  Government  of  Costa  Rica 
is  beginning  to  displace  the  notes  of  the  Banco  de  Costa 
Rica  by  others  issued  by  the  government,  maintained  at 
par  and  guaranteed  by  a  gold  reserve  or  by  gold  certifi- 
cates. 

This  monetary  question  is  of  such  interest  and  im- 
portance, that  the  following  translation  is  given  from  such 
parts  of  the  reports  of  the  Minister  of  Finance  as  relate 
thereto. 

"The  emission  of  gold  certificates  is  necessary,  as  it 
would  be  impossible  to  keep  the  gold  coins  in  circulation 
so  long  as  the  quantity  of  paper  money  issued  by  the 
bank,  is  far  greater.  Again,  in  order  to  avoid  the  difficul- 
ties which  would  arise  from  the  constant  retirement  of  this 
paper  money,  the  gold  certificates  must  be  issued  to  fur- 
nish an  adequate  supply  of  currency.  In  this  way  also  the 
Government  has  the  advantage  of  utilizing  the  quantities 
of  gold  in  deposit,  and  of  acquiring  by  means  of  those  cer- 
tificates resources  for  fresh  coinage  of  gold  pieces." 

"In  order  to  avoid  embarrassment  in  the  commercial 
and  economic  life  of  the  country  it  has  been  agreed  with 
the  Banco  de  Costa  Rica  to  maintain  parity  between  these 
certificates  and  its  notes.  By  the  monetary  law  of  Octo- 
ber 24,  1896,  also  parity  with  the  actual  silver  peso  was 
established.  It  was  further  agreed  that  the  'colon  de  oro,' 
the  new  gold  coin,  should  correspond  in  intrinsic  value 
with  this  standard  of  ratios." 

"For  these  purposes,  there  had  to  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration: First,  the  actual  state  of  the  national  wealth, 
estimated  in  the  already  established  credit  circulating 
medium;  second,  the  average  range  of  international  ex- 
change during  a  number  of  years,  and  third,  the  average 
ratio  of  silver  to  gold  during  the  same  period.  There  had 
further  to  be  considered  the  outstanding  obligations  of 
the  interior  and  of  the  exterior  debt,  as  well  as  pending 
negotiations  as  to  exportable  products,  and  the  relation  of 
the  intrinsic  value  between  gold  and  silver." 

"In  this  \vay  the  following  conclusion  was  reached: 


112 

That  the  'colon  de  oro'  should  contain  700  milligrams  of 
fine  gold,  in  order  not  to  complicate  the  situation  created 
by  the  circulating  notes  of  the  Bank  of  Costa  Rica,  and  in  or- 
der to  include  an  average  exchange  of  1 10  per  cent,  with  re- 
spect to  the  pound  sterling,  and  of  1 15  per  cent,  with  respect 
to  the  American  gold,  as  well  as  to  create  a  relation  of  i  to 
26  between  silver  and  gold.  In  consequence  of  this  and 
for  the  purpose  of  giving  to  the  'colon  de  oro'  the  same 
fineness  as  has  been  given  to  the  American  gold  coin,  and 
as  has  been  adopted  by  the  Union  Latina,  it  was  estab- 
lished that  the  'colon  de  oro'  should  have  778  milligrams 
of  gold  of  900-1000  fineness.  Its  relation  to  the  gold  coins 
of  other  nations  is  as  follows: 

i  American  gold  dollar     . Colones  2. 1495 

4  shillings  sterling,  gold "      2.0921 

5  francs,  gold '.    .    .          "      2.0737 

4  marks,  gold "      2.0481 

"In  the  contract  with  the  Banco  de  Costa  Rica,  it 
was  agreed  that  the  Government  should  coin  gold  period- 
ically. There  are  already  600,000  'colones  de  oro'  in 
pieces  of  10  colones  in  Costa  Rica,  and  the  Government 
ordered  furthermore  a  second  emission  of  400,000  colones 
in  pieces  of  20, colones  each,  which  will  soon  be  issued.  It 
is  further  willing  to  coin  half  a  million  more  in  the  near 
future.  The  Costa  Rican  Bank,  on  the  other  hand,  is 
obliged  to  retire  a  corresponding  amount  of  its  notes  from 
circulation,  and  later,  as  soon  as  sufficient  gold  can  be  put 
in  circulation,  the  exchange  of  bills  is  to  be  made  by  this 
bank  in  gold  instead  of  silver." 

There  are  sufficient  reasons  for  believing  that  the 
Costa  Rican  Government  will  succeed  in  the  realization 
of  this  highly  important  economic  change  without  diffi- 
culty. As  the  Costa  Rican  Bank  no  longer  has  the  exclu- 
sive privilege  of  issuing  paper  money,  new  banks  must  be 
established,  with  authority  to  issue  circulating  notes.  As 
these  banks  will  have  to  keep  a  reserve  of  national  gold 
coins  for  the  redemption  of  their  paper  money,  there  will 
be  an  abundance  of  currencv  of  a  fixed  value.  As  the  fine- 


ness  of  the  'colon  de  oro'  constitutes  the  best  type  of 
international  exchange,  there  will  in  the  future  be  slight 
fluctuations,  and  this  will  prove  a  most  valuable  guaranty 
of  the  stability  of  public  wealth. 

The  value  of  the  National  Government  property  is 
estimated  at  8,522,714.94  pesos.  The  principal  items  are: 

Pesos. 
National  distillery 900,000 

Central  custom-house 500,000 

National  theatre .    .  905,815 

Metal-building 286,432 

National  park 250,000 

Insane  Asylum 405,000 

Pacific  Railway   ....                        847,500 

National  Palace .    .           .  200,000 

Girls'  High-School .  350,000 

Islands  of  San  Lucas  and  Chira 400,865 

Island  of  Uvita 200,000 

Presidential  Palace 150,000 

Artillery  armory 175,000 

National  printing  establishment 140,000 

National  College  in  Alajuela 150,000 

National  Museum 40,000 

Park  of  Morazan .    .  159,185 

Liceo  of  Costa  Rica 145,000 

Main  armory        .  100,000 

Old  temple  of  La  Merced 100,000 

Ex-University 80,000 

House  in  San  Jose" 100,000 

Place  in  front  of  the  National  distillery 94,172 

Custom-house  in  Puntarenas .    .  100,000 

Pier  in  Puntarenas .    .  75,000 

National  telegraph 389,936 

Palace  of  Justice 80,000 

Hospital  for  lepers      .    . 65,000 

Penitentiary 60,000 

Police  Stations                ....  50,000 

Mint 42,000 

The  private  property  owners  are  numerous  and  the 
orderly  habits  of  the  Costa  Ricans  are  marked.  Costa  Rica 
being  an  essentially  agricultural  country,  the  necessity  of  a 
mortgage  law  was  apparent  to  maintain  and  secure  the 
equities  of  all.  Hence  an  official  registry  of  titles  and 
mortgages  was  opened  in  1867. 

8 


The  landed  property  of  the  people  of  Costa  Rica  is 
registered  in  the  "Registro  Publico"  in  the  following  way: 

First  Inscription. 

Pesos. 
1870,     5,243  fincas  valued  at 3,378,035 

1875,  26,947  "  "  i9>090,557 

1880,  43,281  "  "  32,285,339 

1885,  54,540  "  "  .39,228,567 

1890,  65,858  45,152,936 

1895,  79.65i  " •  59,244,326 

1896,  82,614  "  "  62,960,222 

1897,  85,755  "  "  67,711,398 

Second  Inscription. 

Pesos. 
1870,        549  fincas  valued  at 502,503 

1875,     9,58o  "  "       • 9,731,805 

1880,  24,941  "       " 25,339,594 

1885,  41,286  "       "   37,251,567 

1890,  63,331  "       "   52,702,051 

1895,  89,276  "       "   84,105,189 

1896,  94,116  "       "   90,654,569 

1897,  99,309  "       "   99^47,659 

The  following  list  gives  the  number  of  fincas  (prop- 
erties)   and   the  amount  in  pesos   for   which   they   were 
mortgaged. 


Year. 


«  Si 
of  2 

u  »- 

8 

P4 


Year. 


.3 

I! 

— 


St 

2  2 

<  c 


1868 

1869 

1870 

1871 

1872 

1873 

1874  • ! 

1875 

1876 I 

1877 

1878 I 

188° '.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.'.  '.\ 
1882 .  , 


130 

435 
632 

x,!S 
1,565 
2,007 
2,483 
2,909 
3,422 
3,972 
4,748 
5,528 
6,563 
7,373 


580,936 
826,176 
1,112,060 
1,440,810 
1,889,789 
2,667,565 
3,480,011 
4,105,197 
5,359,  158 


6,700,357 
7,944,641 
9,033,333 


1883 
1884 

1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 

1897 


8,177 
8,523 
8,523 
8,513 
8,475 
8,386 
8,396 
8,417 
8,444 
8,630 
8,968 
9,528 
9,928 
10,511 
",055 


9,188,730 
9,283,415 
9-331,985 


9,027,632 
9,088,676 
9,403,484 
9,772,885 
10,862,961 
12,132,204 
14,110,510 
15,231,308 
16,831,402 
17,686,872 


Net  value  of  the  fincas  was: 

Pesos. 

1870 2,551,858  1890 

1875 15,610,546  1895 

1880 24,340,698  1896 

I885 29,896,583  I897 


Pesos. 
35,679,253 
43,347,019 
45,126,821 
48,642,827 


In  the  last  fiscal  year  from  April  i,  1896,  to  March 
31,  1897,  the  Public  Register  shows  the  following  move- 
ment : 


a  «  6  ^  <«    - 

l*W 


O  l^  ON  «  O  >O   fO 
«   «  m  w  O  vO   CO 


§1 
£ 


«£ 

•ex. 


M 

CM 


o 

vS 


—  w 

g'-S 


LOGO  ^  *o  < 
o.wq^i 

ro  r<D  ^  CO  » 


•  n6 

For  the  same  period  the  "Public  Register"  furnishes 
the  following  statistics  of  mortgages  on  real  estate  esti- 
mated in  pesos: 


Distribution  of                                                   „     . 

Mortgages. 

Cancellations. 

p 

-J 

TJ 

(0 

r*.£ 

T». 

8 

£ 

•| 

Id 

Rura 
Propert 

££ 

5§ 
<n 

II 

P2 

•       OH 

fl 

if 

0* 

O 

•a 

'rt 
ft 

•el 

»° 
£ 

o 

JO 

3 

San  Jose  . 
Alajuela    . 

211 
152 

990,051.28 
348,825.25 

294 
60 

796,975.98    "6 
104,565  73      70 

283,513.97 
304,672.37 

211 

33 

539,572.67 
188,675.39 

Heredia    . 

63 

190,864.31 

77 

187,202.05 

31 

111,107.42 

28 

41,781.50 

Cartago.  . 

166 

409,518.63 

139 

263,261.16 

III 

346,415.03 

71 

78,297.61 

Guanacaste 

14. 

86,281.03 

3 

20,000.00 

Puntarenas 

12 

41,843.00 

4 

43,000.00 

4 

32,952.00 

2 

27,498.00 

Ivimon    .  . 

51 

199,893.84 

16 

19,300.00 

28 

139,917.61 

13 

95,505-35 

669 

2.267,277.34 

593 

1434,304.92!  360     '  1,218,578.40'  358 

971,330.52 

- 

Partial  Cancellations  in  Pesos. 

s| 

18 

N     . 

'•SS 

is 

ll 
_g| 
ft 

13 

IQ 

San  Jose   
Alajuela    

33 
»3 

2 
22 

169,835.81 
42,414.00 
3,810.00 
238,746.76  ^ 

66,000.00 

37 

2 

4 
15 

I 

87,560.81 
4,400.00 
7,700.00 
18,368.42 

Heredia    

Cartago 

Guanacaste               .       .       .  . 

Puntarenas 

17,367.00 

35 

RESUME. 

RESUME. 

Number  of 

Total  and  Partial 

Mortgages. 

Sum  Secured. 

Cancellations. 

Pesos. 

Pesos. 

Rural  .   .  .   . 

...    669 

2,267,277.34           Rural  .   .   . 

.   ...  465 

I  739  ^84  97 

Urban    .  .   . 

...    593 

1,434,304.92           Urban     .   . 

.   .   .   .417 

1,106,726.75 

1262 

3,701,582.26 

882 

2,846,111.72 

Since  1865  the  mortgage  law  permits  this  mode  of 
converting  real  estate;  upon  due  official  registration  its 
value  may  be  divided  into  shares,  each  represented  by  a 
cedula.  or  bond,  on  which  as  collateral  security  money  can 
be  raised  at  any  time  with  perfect  safety. 

This  law  is  included  in  the  Codizo  Civil  of  1887  and 


n7 

since  that  time  cedulas  to  following  amounts  have  been 
issued: 

Pesos.  Pesos. 

1888 12,000  1893 336,800 

1889 60,500  1894 482,000 

1890 70,200  1895 666,000 

1891 170,100  1896 1,002,000 

1892 380,000  1897 .  1,381,700 

The  municipal  taxes  are  not  high.  The  owners  of 
real  estate  are  required  to  pay  only  the  taxes  devoted  to 
the  maintenance  of  municipal  police,  street  lighting  and 
the  domestic  supply  of  water. 

Other  municipal  taxes  comprise  license  fees  for  com- 
mercial business,  for  slaughtering  cattle  and  hogs;  for 
wine  houses;  taxes  for  registering  of  dogs;  taxes  on  tan- 
neries, breweries,  coffee-cleaning  establishments,  ceme- 
teries, etc. 

Other  important  factors  of  the  economic  life  of  Costa 
Rica  are  the  existing  "banking  establishments.  The  first 
bank  of  Central  America  was  established  in  1857,  in  Costa 
Rica,  by  Crisanto  Medina.  This  institution  ceased  and, 
in  1863,  was  replaced  by  the  Banco  Anglo-Costaricense 
with  an  authorized  capital  of  2,000,000  pesos  and  a  paid-up 
capital  of  1,200,000.  This  bank  still  exists,  together  with 
the  Banco  de  Costa  Rica  established  in  1867  with  a 
paid-up  capital  of  2,000,000  pesos.  It  incorporated  with 
itself  the  former  Banco  de  la  Union  established  in  1877. 

The  Bank  of  Costa  Rica  has  had  from  the  Govern- 
ment the  privilege  of  issuing  paper  money  to  the  extent  of 
four  times  its  cash  on  hand.  The  average  circulation  of 
these  bank  notes  since  1882  has  been  as  follows: 

Pesos.  Pesos. 

1882-83 35,ooo  1889-90  ....      2,911,479 

1883-84 56,400  1890-91 3,249,914 

1884-85  .    .        .    .       168,890  1891-92 3,037,167 

1885-86 210,170  1892-93  .    .        .    .  2,820,892 

1886-87 1,004,010  1893-94 3,079,067 

1887-88  .    .        .    .  1,518,290  1894-95 3,565,041 

1888-89 2,191,930  1895-96 3,820,404 


n8 


This  issue  privilege  was  withdrawn  in  1897  on  the 
introduction  of  the  'colon  de  oro/  and  a  special  arrange- 
ment was  made  with  the  bank  to  uphold  the  contemplated 
change  from  a  silver  to  a  gold  standard. 

The  Banco  de  Costa  Rica,  on  July  15,  1897, 'had  a 
reserve  fund  of  745,000  pesos  and  a  dividend  account  of 
50,000.  It  has  branches  in  Heredia,  Cartago  and  Alajuela. 
The  situation  of  this  bank  at  the  same  date  was  in  pesos 
as  follows: 

ASSETS.  INABILITIES. 


Cash  on  hand: 

Coin 1,268,682.33 

Checks  against  the 
Anglo-C.  R.  Bank       10,075.43 

1,278,757-76 

Foreign  correspondents  .   .   .       191,073.64 
Accounts  current 335.324-39 

1,805,155-79 


Bills  receivable  .  . 

Branch  Banks  .   .   . 

Bonds  of  School- 
loan  

Various  obligations 
to  collect  .... 

Immovable  prop- 
erty   

Furniture 

Stamps 

Sundry  accounts    . 


5,273,304-39 
373,595-05 

40,607.50 
254,101.99 
167,052.54 

10,000.00 

1,433-00 
29,131-76 


Securities  in  commission  for 

collection 

Deposit  of  '  Colones  de  Oro ' 


6,149,226.23 
7,954,38a.o2 

394,420.74 
6oo,ooo.«o 

8,948,802.76 


Capital  paid  up  .  .  2,000,000.00 
Reserve  fund  .  .  .  745,000.00 
Dividend  account  .  50,000  oo 
Discounts 120,984.70 


2,915,984.70 


Notes  in  circulation  3,929,972.50 
Deposits,  on  time  or 
demand    ....    1,108,424.82 

.  .     .          — : 5,038,397-32 

Securities  in  commission  for 
collection 394,420.74 

Government  on  account  'Co- 
lones de  Oro'  600,000.00 


8.948,802.76 


The  bank  is  ready  to  retire  540,000  pesos  of  its  own 
notes  in  correspondence  with  the  first  gold  deposit  of 
600,000  pesos.  In  view  of  the  satisfactory  transactions  of 
the  Bank  20  per  cent,  was  distributed  in  dividends  for  the 
fiscal  year  ending  in  1897.  Its  manager  is  Mr.  Jose 
Andres  Coronado.  Its  Board  of  Directors  include  Messrs. 
Francisco  Peralta,  Aniceto  Esquivel,  Fabian  Esquivel, 
Daniel  Nunez  and  Manuel  Sandoval. 

The  manager  of  the  Banco  Anglo-Costaricense  is  Mr. 
Percy  G.  Harrison,  and  its  Board  of  Directors  is  com- 
posed of  Messrs.  Adrian  Collado,  Simeon  Guzman, 
Telesforo  Alfaro,  Gerardo  Jager  and  Mariano  Monte- 
alegre. 


119 


The  situation  of  the  Banco  Anglo-Costaricense  on 
June  30,  1897,  was  in  pesos  as  follows: 

8  tO  PI  CTv  O  11 

oq          PJ  oo  o          up 

§pj  vo  qd  o  O 

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oo          05  o\  ?-•          w 


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S  I  P5M^ 


3% 
tl 


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?    9    {Q 

O        \0         P» 


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J: 


ill  ! 


s. : 


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d 
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120 


Foreign  commercial  obligations  were  settled  through 
these  banks  on  the  following  terms:  Drafts  at  three  days' 
sight  on  Paris  cost  one  per  cent,  less  than  on  London  on 
same  time;  those  at  ninety  days'  sight  on  Paris  or  Lon- 
don cost  one  per  cent,  less  than  at  three  days'  sight ;  those 
at  sixty  days'  sight,  on  New  York,  cost  two  per  cent,  less 
than  on  three  days'  sight.  Submarine  cable  transfers  of 
money  cost  two  per  cent,  more  than  by  three  days'  sight 
drafts  with  the  cost  of  telegraphing  added. 

Until  the  24th  of  March,  1897,  the  Bank  of  Costa 
Rica  sold  drafts  on  New  York  for  five  points  more  than 
for  those  on  London.  Since  the  25th  of  March,  1897,  the 
difference  of  exchange  between  those  cities  has  been  eight 
per  cent. 

The  rates  on  London,  in  October  and  November, 
1897,  were  I27>  and  those  on  New  York  were  135. 


XIII. 


POLITICAL  ORGANIZATION. 

Costa  Rica  is  a  republic,  the  government  of  which  is 
representative,  the  representatives  being  classified  so 
that  one-half  retires  every  two  years.  Since  1825  Costa 
Rica  has  had  nine  constitutions,  the  last  one  having  been 
promulgated  in  1871. 

The  government  is  administered  through  three  dis- 
tinct branches;  namely,  the  legislative,  executive  and  judi- 
cial. 

Legislative  powers  are  vested  in  a  single  house  whose 
members  are  chosen,  one  for  every  8000  inhabitants,  for  a 
term  of  four  years  by  an  electoral  college.  This  body  is 
called  the  "Constitutional  Congress"  and  assembles  every 
year  on  May  i  for  a  sixty  days'  session,  which  may  be 
extended  for  thirty  days  more. 

The  executive  power  is  vested  in  the  President  of  the 
Republic  who  is  elected  for  four  years  and  has  the  power 
of  naming  or  removing  his  four  cabinet  ministers. 

Annually,  in  May,  Congress  appoints,  for  a  term  of 
one  year,  three  substitutes  called  "designados."  During 
the  intervals  between  sessions  of  Congress  legislative 
power  is  represented  by  a  board  of  five  commissioners 
appointed  by  Congress. 

Judicial  power  is  lodged  in  a  Supreme  Court  and  in 
subordinate  tribunals  as  constituted  by  law.  The  judiciary 
is  changed  every  four  years. 

Suffrage  is  restricted  to  popular  conventions  which 
choose  a  limited  number  of  electors.  These  meet  in  a 
body  called  the  electoral  assembly  and  proceed  to  choose 
the  President  of  the  Republic  and  the  Congressmen. 

(121) 


122 

The  Republic  is  divided  into  five  Provinces  and  two 
Comarcas  or  Territories.  Both  are  divided  into  Cantones, 
and  the  Cantones  are  subdivided  into  districts. 

The  Territories  are  represented  in  Congress  in  the 
same  way  as  the  Provinces. 

Each  Canton  has  a  municipal  organization  popularly 
elected  and  a  political  chief  named  by  the  President. 

In  each  of  the  Provinces  or  Territories  there  is  a 
Governor,  and  a  military  commandant  also  named  by 
the  President,  and  a  Judge  of  First  Instance  appointed  by 
the  Supreme  Court. 

Costa  Rica,  as  soon  as  she  became  a  member  of  the 
Central  American  Confederation,  organized  a  judiciary  of 
her  own  consisting  of  a  superior  court,  several  tribunals 
of  first  resort  in  the  provinces,  and  the  alcaldes  of  towns 
who  were  justices  of  the  peace  with  jurisdiction  over  petty 
affairs  both  civil  and  criminal.  The  Supreme  Court  has 
since  undergone  many  changes. 

The  Supreme  Court  is  a  Court  of  Law  composed  of 
five  justices.  Two  Courts  of  second  instance  have  three 
magistrates  each. 

In  each  of  the  Provinces  and  in  the  Comarca  of  Pun- 
tarenas  there  are  judges  having  criminal  and  civil  juris- 
diction. 

In  the  chief  towns  of  each  Canton  the  alcaldes  act  in 
civil  cases  of  minor  importance,  and  in  criminal  cases  are 
judges  of  petty  offenses,  and  for  graver  charges  are  com- 
mitting magistrates. 

In  the  districts  the  justices  of  the  peace  and  the 
police  are  charged  with  maintaining  the  public  peace  and 
they  act  for  small  misdemeanors  in  a  summary  way. 

For  fiscal  affairs  there  are  an  Inspector  General  of 
Hacienda,  an  alcalde  of  Hacienda,  and  a  National  Judge 
of  Hacienda.  There  is  also  a  special  judge  of  mines  resid- 
ing at  San  Mateo. 

Punishments  are  generally  neither  cruel  nor  pro- 
tracted. They  comprise  confinement  in  a  prison  or  peni- 
tentiary, transportation,  or  a  fine.  The  penitentiary  is  on 
the  island  of  San  Lucas. 


123 

In  1841  Costa  Rica  codified  its  civil  and  penal  juris- 
prudence, amending  the  code  materially  seventeen  years 
later.  This  has  been  the  basis  of  her  legal  progress  and  is 
in  force  except  as  modified  by  subsequent  statutes.  Among 
the  more  important  amendments  are  these:  by  the  Penal 
Code  in  effect  since  1880  the  death  penalty  is  abolished,  as 
well  as  humiliating  and  cruel  punishments;  1886  there 
was  promulgated  a  new  Civil  Code,  in  which  are  prominent 
civil  marriages,  the  right  of  divorce  and  the  civil  equality 
of  woman. 

The  Code  of  Commerce  in  force,  founded  on  Spanish 
customs,  was  issued  in  1853.  The  Fiscal  Code  of  to-day 
went  into  effect  in  1885. 

The  Military  Code  of  1871  was  superseded  in  1884 
by  another  more  in  accordance  with  modern  institutions. 

The  Jury  System  in  criminal  cases  has  been  in  force 
since  1873. 

The  Municipal  Statutes  prevailing  to-day  were  issued 
in  1867;  the  General  Police  Regulations  in  1849. 

The  "Ley  Organica"  of  tribunals  was  framed  in  1845 
and  modified  slightly  in  1852. 

In  1865  there  was  promulgated  the  law  for  a  cred- 
itor's proceedings;  the  mortgage  law  was  passed  in  1865. 

Higher  and  professional  education  was  provided  for 
in  1843  by  a  law  known  as  the  "Statutes  of  the  University 
of  Santo  Tomas,"  and  in  1886  there  was  enacted  a  law  for 
common  education. 

The  Registry  of  property  and  mortgages  was  opened 
in  1867,  since  which  time  various  reforms  have  been  intro- 
duced into  the  Mortgage  Law. 

There  are  besides  many  special  laws,  like  the  Mining 
Statutes  decreed  in  1830;  the  Water  Law  of  1884  now  in 
force;  the  Consular  Regulations,  and  others. 

By  decree  of  24th  of  November,  1863,  the  decimal 
system  for  moneys  now  in  use  was  adopted.  By  decree  of 
loth  of  July,  1884,  the  metric  system  was  adopted  for 
weights  and  measures. 

All  Costa  Ricans  between  eighteen  and  fifty  years  of 
age  are  obliged  to  do  military  service  according  to  law. 


124 

The  army  is  divided  into  two  parts;  the  first  includes, 
under  the  head  of  active  service,  all  soldiers  from  eighteen 
to  forty  years  of  age;  the  second  comprises  all  the  rest 
under  the  head  of  "Reserve." 

There  is  a  third  division,  known  as  the  National 
Guard,  including  all  citizens  capable  of  shouldering  arms 
outside  of  the  foregoing. 


XIV. 


HISTORY. 

Until  1540  Spain  reserved  for  the  Crown  that  part  of 
the  territory  of  Veragua  lying  west  of  the  portion  which 
had  been  granted  to  the  heirs  of  Columbus,  but  in  that 
year  it  was  erected  into  a  province  called  Costa  Rica. 
According  to  the  narrative  of  Colonel  G.  E.  Church, 
within  a  period  of  sixty  years  from  the  date  of  its  dis- 
covery some  ten  feeble  exploring  and  colonizing  expedi- 
tions, mostly  from  Panama,  were  fitted  out  to  occupy 
Costa  Rica,  but  they  all  proved  disastrous,  the  only  result 
being  the  exasperation  of  the  natives  whom  the  Spaniards 
plundered,  butchered  and  treated  with  signal  barbarity. 

Between  1560  and  1573  the  limits  of  Costa  Rica  were 
defined  and  confirmed  by  Philip  II.,  those  on  the  Atlantic 
Coast  being  the  same  as  to-day,  so  far  as  Nicaragua  is 
concerned. 

In  1562  Juan  Vasquez  de  Coronado  was  named 
Alcalde  and  Mayor  of  the  Province  of  Costa  Rica  and 
Veragua.  He  founded  the  City  of  Cartago  which  re- 
mained the  capital  until  1823. 

Up  to  1622  fifteen  governors  succeeded  Vasquez,  but 
disappointed  in  their  efforts  to  find  gold,  to  enslave  the 
Indian  population,  or  to  make  the  country  prosperous, 
they  allowed  it  to  lapse  into  a  barbarism  far  worse  than  it 
was  at  the  time  of  its  discovery. 

Barrantes  says  that  in  1622  it  had  but  fifty  Spanish 
families,  and  these  were  in  a  condition  of  extreme  poverty. 

A  report,  which  the  King  ordered  to  be  made  about 
that  time  for  purposes  of  taxation,  stated:  "In  Costa  Rica 
no  mines  of  any  metal  are  worked;  no  gold-washings,  no 

(125) 


126 

indigo  cultivation,  no  sugar-mill  exist.  The  people  culti- 
vate only  maize  and  wheat.  There  is  no  money.  The 
poverty  is  such  that  the  flour  and  biscuits  which  are  not 
consumed  are  exchanged  for  necessary  clothing." 

When  Gregorio  de  Sandoval  was  named  Captain- 
General,  in  1634,  and  reached  his  port  from  the  Atlantic 
Coast,  he  noted  the  importance  of  having  a  better  port 
than  that  then  existing  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Pacuare, 
and,  therefore,  in  1639  founded  that  of  Matina,  connect- 
ing it  by  a  mule-trail  102  miles  long  with  Cartago. 

From  1666  to  the  end  of  the  century  both  the 
Caribbean  and  the  Pacific  coasts  were  ravaged  by  piratical 
expeditions. 

In  1718  Diego  de  la  Haya  y  Fernandez  was  appointed 
Captain-General.  The  following  year  he  reported  to  the 
King  on  the  condition  of  Costa  Rica,  which  he  pro- 
nounced the  "poorest  and  most  miserable  of  all  America. 
The  current  money  is  the  cacao  seed,  there  not  being  a 
piece  of  silver  in  the  entire  country.  There  is  not  an  eat- 
able sold  in  street  or  shop.  Every  family  has  to  sow  and 
reap  what  it  consumes  or  expends  during  the  year.  Even 
the  Governor  has  to  do  this  or  perish.  Meanwhile  the 
inhabitants  of  the  province  are  contentious,  chimerical 
and  turbulent,  and  among  the  whole  of  them  there  are  not 
forty  men  of  medium  capacity." 

In  1797  the  governorship  and  military  command 
were  conferred  on  Tomas  de  Acosta,  but  after  ruling  for 
twelve  years  he  wrote:  "There  is  not  in  the  entire  mon- 
archy a  province  so  indigent  as  this,  for  some  of  the  inhabi- 
tants are  clothed  with  the  bark  of  trees,  and  others,  that 
they  may  go  to  church,  hire  and  borrow  from  their 
friends/' 

This  may  be  said  to  have  been  the  condition  of  the 
country  when  the  domination  of  Spain  ended. 

The  fifty-eight  Governors,  who,  since  1563,  had  fol- 
lowed the  ill-fated  Vasquez  de  Coronado,  had  been  little 
more  than  managers  of  a  neglected  farm,  which  scarcely 
yielded  sufficient  to  enable  its  laborers  to  eke  out  a  miser- 
able, half-starved  existence.  Thev  had  killed  off  or 


127 

enslaved  the  indigenous  population.  Their  poverty  had 
precluded  the  opening  of  roads  or  the  clearing  and  culti- 
vation of  the  lands,  while  the  exactions  of  Spain  and  its 
barbarous  political  and  fiscal  policy  had  smothered  all 
commercial  interests.  In  fact,  Costa  Rica  had,  during 
three  centuries  of  Spanish  domination,  constantly  retro- 
graded, and  when  the  Spaniard  retired  from  it,  he  left  it 
less  civilized  than  when  he  entered  it  in  1502. 

On  September  15,  1821,  Costa  Rica  joined  Nicaragua 
in  a  decree  of  independence.  On  January  10,  1822,  she 
proclaimed  her  union  with  the  Iturbide  Empire  of  Mexico 
under  "the  plan  of  Iguala,"  but  in  1824  she  resumed  her 
independence,  declared  herself  a  Republic,  elected  Juan 
Mora  as  President,  who  remained  in  office  for  eight  years, 
and  became  one  of  the  United  Provinces  of  Central  Amer- 
ica. This  weak,  unmanageable  union  underwent  a  slow 
disintegration  from  1838  to  1839.  I*  feH  m  pieces  for 
want  of  internal  communications,  like  the  old  Columbian 
federation  of  New  Granada,  Venezuela  and  Ecuador. 

Among  the  twenty-four  presidents  and  dictators  who 
have  governed  Costa  Rica  since  1824,  several  have  been 
men  of  marked  intelligence  and  devoted  patriotism,  and 
under  their  administration  the  country  has  slowly 
emerged  from  its  former  depression,  until  to-day  it  may  be 
said  to  be  in  a  healthy  political  and  commercial  condition. 

Costa  Rica  is  very  much  indebted  to  its  first  Presi- 
dent, Juan  Mora.  Other  successful  Presidents  were: 
Juan  Rafael  Mora,  from  1850  to  1859;  General  Tomas 
Guardia,  from  1872  to  1876,  and  again  from  1878  to  1882; 
Bernardo  Soto,  from  1885  to  1889,  and  Rafael  Iglesias, 
since  1894. 

Since  its  independence  there  have  been  but  few 
stirring  events  to  agitate  the  country.  The  most  impor- 
tant of  them  was  the  efficacious  aid  it  gave  to  Nicaragua 
in  1857  in  crushing  the  filibuster  Walker,  whose  object 
was  to  add  Nicaragua  as  slave  territory  to  the  United 
States. 


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